The Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 S is a legendary squash racket that came out in 2015 and took the squash market by storm. It is a well-designed racket backed by an extremely successful marketing campaign. You can still purchase this classic racket today in 2022.
Product Info
Release year: 2015
Price: $150
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Buy (UK): amazon.co.uk
Buy (US): amazon.com | squashgalaxy.com
Racket Specs chart
Advertised weight (unstrung): 125 grams
Advertised balance: 35 cm
Head size: 500 cm sq
String pattern: 14x18
Measured weight (all-in): 153.5 grams
Measured balance: 36 cm
Some Background on the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 S
The red and black Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 S came out in 2015. It was Tecnifibre’s much-anticipated follow-up to the yellow and black Tecnifibre Carboflex 125, which was a highly successful racket in its own right. That prior racket was used by Mohamed Elshorbagy, Miguel Rodriguez, Nour El Sherbini, and many more top players that were rising to the top of the sport.
There must have been a lot of pressure inside Tecnifibre to deliver with the next racket. Well, Tecnifibre absolutely nailed the assignment. The red-and-black cosmetics were gorgeous. It had a distinctive bumper guard that is actually removable if you restring the racket.
The introduction of this racket coincided with a long run where Mohamed Elshorbagy and Nour El Sherbini rose to the top of the world rankings and stayed there for an extended period. But tons of other pro players also used the 125 S. I reckon it was more ubiquitous than the prior 125 model, which is saying a lot, because that racket was everywhere.
Meanwhile, Tecnifibre absolutely crushed it with the marketing campaign for this racket. The posters featured the same red, black, and white color scheme that the racket did. And they picked a great photo of a pumped-up Shorbagy.
This racket exploded onto the scene and soon enough it was seen everywhere, both on the pro tour and in squash clubs around the country. I would love to know how many of these rackets Tecnifibre has sold over the years. And it’s STILL selling well, I bet.
The Carboflex 125 S was replaced by the Tecnifibre Carboflex X-Speed 125 in 2018.
Reviews of the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 S
I finally did a full review of this racket almost two years after it came out. There’s a transcript of this video below, if you prefer to read the text.
Here’s a review from Paul at PDH Sports:
Larry at Squash Unlimited comments:
Cosmetics are amazing and the custom bumper system should be an interesting feature to playtest. We will be be taking them on the court shortly.
Michel comments:
get my first hits tonight and as expected i felt immediately confortable with the racket as i was playing with the yellow one before.
I did not notice any big big changes but subtle things mainly, i think, due to the brand new string:
– the ball was popping out the racket with a very nice sound like a real “pop”
– the sweet spot was easier to find
– control was better especially on the back hand side : high, deep and glued to the side wall.
– very good feeling on the drop shot while cutting the ball.
These are my feelings BUT it could be that i was in a good day, or very pleased to play a brand new racket, or just a psychological type of things, or all that together !!!
Anyway this is a fantastic racket that i warmly recommend. lovin’ it !
CorpPilot comments:
Its the same stick as before with some pretty matte black and red cosmetics. The primary and only truly noticeable difference would be the graphics and the two piece frame/gromet strip.
Here’s my original “quick-look” video. I took to it immediately. The balance felt head-light / even and the racket had tons of control.
More Photos of the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 S
From PDH Sports:
Photo via instagram.com/pdhsports ∞
Gregoire Marche was using this in the first round of the 2015 Grasshopper Cup in Zurich:
Photo by Irena Vanisova ∞
Here’s Miguel Angel Rodriguez in the 2015 Bundesliga finals:
Mohamed El Shorbagy just got his shipment in:
This is Victoria Lust using the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 S at the 2015 US Open:
Image via Steve Cubbins ∞
Chris Gordon was also using this at the US Open:
Photo by Steve Cubbins ∞
Nour El Sherbini, too:
Photo by Steve Cubbins ∞
Here’s Max Lee at the 2015 World Championships:
Photo via Steve Cubbins →
Alfredo Avila too:
Photo via Steve Cubbins →
Farhan Zaman uses this too!
Photo via Steve Cubbins →
Also saw a few players using this at the 2016 British Nationals.
Here’s Alison Thomson:
Photo via Steve Cubbins →
And here’s Joel Makin:
Photo via Steve Cubbins →
Also Ben Coleman:
Photo via Steve Cubbins →
Here’s Nicolette Fernandes at the 2016 British Open:
Photo via Steve Cubbins →
Also Olivia Blatchford:
Photo via Steve Cubbins →
Ali Anwar Reda at the 2016 Pyramids:
Photo via SquashSite →
Marina Stefanoni at the 2019 Women’s World Champs:
Have you tried this racket? Please leave a review in the comments!
Transcript
Here’s my video review again, with the transcript below:
Hey it’s Pierre. I got a review today of the famous, the unforgettable classic racket, the Carboflex 125 S. I played with this very briefly when it first came out, which I think was two years ago and I liked it when I hit with it but I only got to kind of play with it in one game very briefly. Thanks to Derek from dlsports.de in Germany for sending me this racket. That’s one of my affiliates, DL Sports, and thanks to Derek for sending me this racquet to review — finally!
This is probably the most popular racket — certainly since I’ve started Squash Source it feels like this is the the racket that’s been the most popular over the years I’ve been doing this and why is that? Well I’m gonna tell you how it played but I think a lot of the reason for that was this racket, it looks great.
They did a fantastic job with the design. Red, black and white. It’s based on the prior Carboflex model, which also was a top seller, I think. The original Carboflex 125, that one was the black and yellow one, and that was very popular as well. And this one kind of followed in the footsteps and they had great advertising.
They had this poster you’ve probably seen if you’ve been watching squash racket advertisements for any length of time of Mohamed El Shorbagy like punching his fist in the air with this racket in an awesome Carboflex — I mean Technifibre — shirt to match.
This is used by Shorbagy, it’s used by Nour El Sherbini, it’s used by just about every everyone it seems. It’s tons of top pros. Not everyone but it’s used a lot of top pros and it’s used all over the juniors and all over club players as well.
So I’ll tell you about the racket now huh I played with it today at length and my … the thing about this racket is it’s pretty light okay it’s a 153.8 grams on my scale and it’s pretty head light: thirty-six centimeters. I’ve seen some places say less than that even.
It’s always hard for me to judge the stiffness of a racket but it feels kind of like a medium stiffness not super stiff and I’ve been hitting with a racket recently, it’s a bit stiffer I think and it’s a bit head-heavier and a bit heavie.
I kind of go back and forth and I’ve been wanting to get back to a racket that that kind of just feels like it’s solid all the way through. I want to get away from being kind of whippy with my racket so the one I’m using now is kind of like a battleship, it just feels like you know once you start that momentum it’s doing the work for you. You had to — it’s harder work to get your racket back, but once you do, you just swing through and it’s a nice crisp shot. It’s almost like you you can’t just dink it because you have to swing through.
The Carboflex is I think on the other side of the coin. You really need to have — I think you have to have pretty good racket ability to use this racket. It took me a little while to adjust to it. I’ve only been using it this one just today. I hit with it maybe briefly another day but really this is the first time. I played with it for like ten games today so I finally got the hang of it and I really think this is the best type of racket for someone who likes to honestly just likes to put a lot of spin on the ball, likes to move their racket while they’re swinging, has good racket control. Because you can really, because it’s light and pretty head-light, ball’s coming, you don’t have to take a huge backswing, you can get it back quickly, you can use your wrist to go through it on both sides, and or you can come around the ball and apply a lot of spin both on you know on drives and on short shots in a way that you can’t with a kind of heavier racket.
If you have a heavy racket yeah you of course you can put spin on it but … it’s just a bit more difficult to maneuver in the heat of the moment. That has its downsides though which is that you have to get your racket ready you have to have good preparation you have to have good racket skills in order to make the most of it.
I think if you’re a young junior and you know you want just a lighter racket that looks cool, I think — I don’t want to say anyone shouldn’t use it if they’re feeling good on it, but I do think this racket, although it’s used by everyone and their cousin, in my opinion takes takes a fair amount of it takes a fair amount of racket ability to really use it to its full effectiveness.
So let me show you a little more of the cosmetics while I got it. So first of all one of the big changes. Here’s the Tecnifibre Absolute Squash. Absolute Squash grip from Technifibre. Again just great design. They really killed it on this. They’ve been doing a good job for years Tecnifibre has. Now one of the big changes from the previous Carboflex was this bumper guard. It’s got this channel and the strings are kind of tucked in there. It’s a little hard to see because it’s black strings on black but it’s got this channel so they’re tucked in there for extra protection of your strings. And the other neat feature — I don’t know if it’s a little bit of a gimmick or what but — you can actually take off the bumper guar, just to make it even head-lighter. I think Shorbagy does that? You have to restring it in order to do that but you can take off this plastic piece here just leaving the bare frame and maybe that’ll make it a little less durable if you’re gonna if you’re smacking into the wall but if not, you are able to make it even a little head-lighter.
And what else can I show you? Tecnifibre there. Gosh that’s a good-looking racket. Anyway so I enjoyed my hit with it today. It took me like I said a little bit to adjust to it coming from a heavier head-heavier racket. I really had to get myself prepared properly when using this racket but in the end it is enjoyable one to hit with. This is the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 S.
Thanks
Thanks to Michel Goulche for the tip.
Marcin says
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Hi,
Does anyone know (and still remember:) how much a removable bumper guard weights? I am wondering what weight reduction should I expect if bumper is off, eyelest only.
Brent says
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Hi Pierre – I just bought the Dunlop Revelation 125 (new model). I’m finding I may want something stiffer, but headlight. I hit with the Carboflex 125 and liked how rigid it was but a bit head heavy. Is there something like a carboflex 125 head-light? I need it mostly due to my elbow issues.
Tjeerd says
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Hi Brent,
I can confirm your experience with the Dunlop Revelation 125. I’ve had a few hits with last years model (2017, the bright yellow one), and they are indeed a bit “flexy”. Great value for money, though…
Anyway, on topic : I believe that the Carboflex 125S has an detachable top bumper. Removing it will significantly shift the balance to more headlight.
I expect to get a 125S in my hands for a stringjob, probably next month. Will put it on the kitchen scale and share my measurements here with you.
Pierre says
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Good point. I never did try the 125 S without the bumper
Pierre says
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I’m having trouble thinking of a good answer on this. You might want to play around with this spreadsheet below. This is a work in progress so I haven’t fully publicized it yet but you can filter and sort by the various data points I’ve collected over the years. Might give you some ideas.
https://airtable.com/shrWgvjvAg3MvQxsP
Jimmy Martenson says
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Hi Pierre, out of curiosity, what is the “battleship”-like racket you’d been playing with that you refer to in the video? Thanks!
Pierre says
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The Dunlop Hyperfibre+ Evolution. Maybe it’s unfair for me to call it a battleship 🙂
Ivan says
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Just catch the photo from the distributor.
The new Tecnifibre racket with 2 designs will come out on Feb.
Separated as Men & Women line with different color combo as below color ref.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DQTQEjpW0AAZ5Pp.jpg
Pierre says
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The Carboflex 125 S will be a tough act to follow! We will see how it goes
Bernard says
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eh, the new link is to a tennis racket?? (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DQTQEjpW0AAZ5Pp.jpg)
Ivan says
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Hi Bernard,
For color combo ref. only.
Ivan says
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got the photos of the 2018 models &
need to get the permission posting on web.
125 Men – flag of French colors on Y area, above & below Y black as existing model
125 Women – flag of French colors on Y area, above & below Y changed to French blue
130 – flag of French colors on Y area, above Y white as existing model, below Y changed to black
135 – flag of French colors on Y area, above & below Y black as existing model
B says
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@ Ivan, can you post a link please? would love to see these
thanks!
Niklas says
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Saw them on a facebook page. Type in “Tecnifibre for 2018” in the facebook searh and you will probably find them. The cosmetics are not impressive at all, hopefully they will be shortlived. The tricolor paint job doesn’t work, looks almost like a low end racket.
Pierre says
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b says
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Had a look there, not impressed. Not as nice as the current model or the original Black and Yellow one from 3 years ago.
Gabriel Valdivieso says
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Pierre,
Mo posted an instagram story of a CARBOFLEX X SPEED something, should be the new model. Heads up!
Pierre says
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Thanks! I missed his Instagram Story but looking forward to the Carboflex launch. I hear it’s happening at the TOC.
Ivan says
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Marvin from Harrow to Tecnifibre!
https://www.facebook.com/tecnifibre/photos/a.62927527172.67923.35478247172/10156000135752173/?type=3&theater
Francesco says
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The new carboflex?
http://78.media.tumblr.com/dd1d3d0b73be6f5589b775919cd1fbe4/tumblr_inline_p2uisxBvBs1s38j9i_1280.png
Anders Svensson says
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Hi guys, I’m trying to decide between the new offering from Dunlop, Hyperfibre Evolution Pro, or going with a Carboflex 125S which has come highly recommended. Any advice appreciated.
I am getting back into squash after a long break, used to be a decent player but work and home life took me away from the game for some time.
Pierre says
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They’re both good rackets and I don’t think you can do too wrong with either. They are pretty similar in terms of specs. The Carboflex 125 S is a little heavier in the head (which actually surprised me).
Lloyd says
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fyi marche no longer seems to have this racket. He has a green round head shape technifibre. Don’t recognise it as any of the ones on here atm. New racket out?
Niklas says
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Hi Lloyd.
It is the new Tecnifibre Supreme SB 125. Pierre has a dedicated page for it. Here is a link to a page on the psa website where you can see it clearly:
https://psaworldtour.com/news/view/4968/french-trio-advance-to-last-eight-of-open-international-de-squash-de-nantes
Jan says
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The all white Eye S Line shoes are looking good too.
Pierre says
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Yep like Niklas said, he’s using the Tecnifibre Supreme SB 125:
Kurabi says
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Hi All,
Any suggestions on the replacement grip for this racquet?
Have been using the original grip but it feels a bit too thin for my liking.
What do players normally do?Replace it with karakul etc or use a over grip?
Bernard says
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I wonder, does anybody know, are there any plans to release an updated version of this soon? (think it’s been out for over 2 years)
I seriously love this racket but i’d hold off buying another one if there’s an updated model in the pipeline
Sigurdur says
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Hi
are there many guys taking the bumper of. Does it pay of, to do that ? It seems like Elshorbagy has taken it of in some pictures, but I’m not shure
Sebastian says
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Hey Pierre,
great reviews!
I’ve recently tried the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125S and now I’m seriously thinking about buying it. Would you rather recommend to try the 130 and 135 first (the technical specifications seems very marginal to me)? I would expect a slightly more powerful shot with those as they are a bit more head heavy am I right?
What would you think?
Cheers,
Sebastian
veludoleao says
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I had the Tecnifibre Carboflex 135 before the 125S. I had the same doubt. I thought I would have a more powerful shot with the 135. But I was wrong. The 125S feels a lot better. Power and control are still there with less effort. The lightweightness was good to my arm. Still, this is my impression and based on my gameplay. I like (at least I try to) to rally more than do killing shots all the time.
Raj P says
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I actually played with Carboflex 125s’ for almost a year before I had to give them up. It killed me because I *loved* their combination of feel, weight and power.
But I actually found that the Technifibre Carboflex 125s’ had a *lot* of flex and vibration. So much so, that I ended up getting acute tendinitis in my forearm.
As a result, on my coach’s advice, I switched to another ‘stiffer’ racquet which had much less flex/vibration (Harrow Spark). And voila, my tendinitis went away after about 2 months.
Now clearly, this is not just the racquet. No doubt, some aspect of my (poor) technique made the problem worse and perhaps some players are more sensitive to the flex/vibration than others. But at least in my case, switching to a stiffer racquet completely solved the issue.
Of course Your Mileage May Vary.
-rrp
dpschuste says
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Any views on whether to string this racquet with the new Dnamx black or trusty (but not very durable) 305 green?
Lawrence says
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Hi dpschuste
If you have the money and time, try both! I’ve tried both, but still prefer green. Green 1.10 @25lbs up to 28lbs feels awesome!!!
Enjoy!
Nelson says
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I just bought the 125s but I feel it vibrates a lot with, is that normal? (I have a week using it)
Lawrence says
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Not normal. However, some people equate vibration with feel. Regardless, the 125s should have very little to no vibration. It could be the strings, though. Inform the shop you where you bought it from, then change the strings (hopefully at a discounted price). If it still vibrates a lot after changing strings then that proves to the shop that the racket is faulty.
Nelson says
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With what strings and tension should I change them?
Lawrence says
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Hi Nelson
My son has strung his 125s at 25lbs, 26lbs, and currently 27/25lbs. All of these tension felt great with minimal vibration.
Hope this helps.
Warren says
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I had the same issue with vibration. I re strung them with 305 27 pounds and the other with ultranick also at 27 pounds. The racquet is totally different after the change. Awsome sticks and really hard to beat them. I have gone though a span of racquets this year and default back to the 125s
Doug says
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Warren,
I would love to hear what you thought about the UN vs the 305 in the 125s.
Are you playing 18g or 17g?
Planning my own experiment with the 18g.
John Pylad says
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Hey!
Have the Carboflex 125S and i love it! Now it´s time to restring it. Have a extra pair of 305+ strings.
Any one have some thought about string tensions?
(Iam a amature player, been playing 2-3 times a week for a about 5 years).
Regards
John
Lawrence says
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Hi John
What’s your current string tension? Are you happy with it?
Is your 305+ a 1.10 gauge or 1.20 gauge?
Are you a power player or stroke player?
For 1.10 gauge on a 125s I would suggest to string at 26-28lbs; for a 1.20 gauge I would suggest 24-26lbs.
Hope this helps. Enjoy the game!
John Pylad says
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Hey and thanks for the replay!
Iam playing with the factory string tension, and i guess iam happy with it.
My new 305+ is 1.20.
/John
Lawrence says
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Tecnifibre factory string tension is about 27lbs, so to restring at around 25-27lbs would be my recommendation for the 1.20.
Enjoy!
Lawrence says
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Tecnifibre factory string tension is about 27lbs, so to restring at around 25-27lbs would be my recommendation for the 1.20.
Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.
Enjoy!
Kareem says
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Hi,
I will have to restring my Carboflex 125 soon. I am a power player and I need your help with the string choice.
If I buy the 305+, which gauge should I get 1.1 or 1.2? what tension for more power for each?
If I buy the new dynergy strings? 1.1 or 1.2? what tension?
Thank you
Lawrence says
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Hi Kareem
In general, go with the 1.1 and a lower tension for more power. But strings are a matter of personal preference, though. My 12-year old son uses the 125s, strung with 305 green 1.1 at 27lbs and is still able to generate a lot of power. So it is really down to your technique as well.
Thinner strings can generate more power and have better feel, but they also tend to break faster…..?
Hope this helps!
Bernard says
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I wonder if there is any new re-design of this in the offing e.g. shaving 5 grams off it or something like that.
I currently have a few of the old Model (the yellow and black one) but wouldn’t mind up-grading – but would be nice to know if this model will be updated soon too!
Love these rackets – the best I’ve used.
Pierre says
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I haven’t heard of any new versions of this coming out. They just released the Dynergy rackets so my guess is we won’t see a new version of this until next summer (just a guess!)
Mark says
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Quite simply the best racket i’ve had the pleasure of using.
5* all the way.
I came to it from the original Carboflex 140, via the Black knight ION Cannon Castagnet racket which i really didnt like.
It feels light but well built, unlike some light rackets. The balance feels perfectly mid balance but i do hold up the grip a lot.
Its very responsive and fast with quick volley action on the T.
A long drive swing always feel controlled.
The power was a massive surprise. I never expected so much from a light racket. It doesn’t feel as powerful as the BK ION Cannon, but thats to be expected. It does feel far more forgiving on off centre hits.
The new DNAX strings it comes shipped with are really nice. A familiar feel for anyone who already uses.
It’s currently one of the most expensive rackets out there, but worth every single penny/cen
Shayan says
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Dunlop force evolution 120 or carbofkex 125s?
bernard says
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good question – personally i prefer the carboflex, would love to know what others think.
also ashaway strings or tecnifibre strings?
Owen Rodwell says
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Carboflex for me as well. I’ve hit with both and while the Dunlop is a good racket the Tecnifibre is better. I prefer the balance of it and the fact that the strings are superior. And based on the people I know who have had the racket the Tecnifibre is also the more durable racket.
Wadood Chaudhary says
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Does anyone know the default factor tension on the string? Both for 125 and 125S.
I like it what it comes with it. I normally play 22 for Prince Rebel Pro but this one gives me about the same power with much more control, so I’d like to have them restrung them at the factory tension.