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
Search: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.
Steven says
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I have used prince airstick 550 previously, and then switched to carboflex 125 as my main racket. I have been playing with the new 125s for a weeks now. Believe me when i say this. There’s a real difference between 125 and 125s other than cosmetics.
For starter, 125 was slightly head heavy compared to 125s which is also head heavy( some may feel even balanced). In my opinion volley becomes easier but u will have to generate more power with your swing.
And then there’s a slight vibration in 125 which was absent in 125s ( definitely not placebo, i string 2 rackets with tf 305 27Ibs), instead of vibration, 125s has a nice ‘pop’ feeling.
About the weight, i feel that 125s is too light for me. Classic 125 is just perfect. 5g actually made a difference in my opinion. However, I am able to response quicker front court.
I would say the power remains the same, u might feel more power generated due to the eliminated vibrations.
Drop shots are still amazing to play with new 125s, if u are a 125 owner, u will know how good these rackets are.
For those players who find the new racket lacking power and control, I strongly suggest u to string with tf 305 1.1 at 27Ibs or higher. Forget about the factory string, with low tension, u will lose both power and control. The new frame is powerful as usual, allowing u to string at really high tension ( up to 30)
In conclusion, improvement of 125s over 125 are cosmetics( personal opinion), elimination of vibrations, lighter hence better response.
However, i did notice a few downside, the bumper strip in my country comes only with one layer,just like previous 125, but it was so fragile, after a few weeks some parts broken. Also, tf racket has really bad grip, both the shape and size was too big for me. Other than that, bravo, it’s a all rounded good racket, not the best, but good enough for most people.
Stan says
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The racquet is light. A little too light. The strings that come with the racquet, black tecnifibre should be replaced immediately with thinner gauge green tecnifibre string, and the grip with karakal tacky grip. On my racquet, the thinner string did cut and grab the ball better and felt instantly noticeable and responded better.
The light weight may not appeal to many however the easy swing and manoeuvreability of the racquet is obvious over racquets with 5-10 grams more weight. However the lighter mass is noticeable but not necessarily better for match play . The racquet does not seem to take ball well on delivery as say , on a serve.
Pierre Bastien says
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Thanks Stan
mohammad says
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donlop or tecnifibre?????
Yann says
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Pepsi or Coke?
I say none.
Harrow Vapor for me.
I have a 125S, it’s a very good racket with a nice balance of control and power, but the Vapor is probably the best racket money can buy today for a club player.
Andrew says
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I had been using Harrow Vapours for a few years and was reasonably happy, but I was looking for a racket that could help me take my game to the next level and so I took a chance and bought the Carboflex 125S being unable to try it out beforehand. Let me say I was very disappointed initially, I felt the control that I had was not there with this racket. I play on a very warm court and I was hitting the ball loose and there was too much power.
However, I figured the factory tension of 26-28lbs may have been the issue. Sure enough, I switched over to the Tecnifibre 305 1.1mm at 29lbs and my trusted green string and higher tension made all the difference. I am now able to hit the ball tight, and as a big hitter, still have the power reserves to really hit the ball at pace as well.
I hope this encourages anyone who is currently not happy with the racket to try a different string/ tension before giving up on it.
For those with the Harrow Vapour, the Carboflex racket is lighter in the head but I would say it felt evenly balanced. The Carboflex 125S is definitely more maneuverable and I am able to play more delicate shots at stretch.
My final verdict is that I highly recommend the Carboflex 125S strung with Tecnifibre 305 1.1 green string.
Michael says
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Hey Andrew, cheers for that insight, I currently can not get Tecnifibre 1.1 in NZ, so I’ve gone with Powernick 19, over the 18, just to see what the feel will be like, and how long it’ll last, I may have to buy Tecnifibre 1.1 in the meantime online from a overseas website and try it.. Keep you updated with the fine tuning! Cheers
Michael says
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Have just purchased the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125s, great racket easy to maneuver, with the 305+ in it its great for drops-touch shots, I noticed it has no real pop to it! And no power. I’m use to using Ashaway Powernick 18-19 and currently have had the Harrow Vapour with the supernick 18, any ideas on strings? I’ve never used the Tecnifibre green.. Cheers Michael
Darren Rushton says
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I’ve had the new carboflex 125S racket for 3 weeks now so I thought I would let you know my views on it.
Having previously played with the old 125 carboflex and having heard people’s views on the new one I was sceptical there would much difference. However this has simply not been the case.
From day one I have found this racket to be more powerful than the old version and quite significantly. In fact it has taken a few weeks to get used to the extra power. Where touch shots are concerned I can see no difference between the two versions. Owners of the old carboflex will know exactly what I mean about how good these rackets are for drops and volley drops and general touch shots.
One point to note and this is a personal preference is that I do not like the 305+ strings that come as standard. I immediately replaced them with the green 305 1.2 strung to 27lb tension which I find to be perfect.
Overall these new rackets are superb and in my opinion a good improvement on the old version. Not sure about removing bumper strips as it would potentially make this racket even more powerful but with significant risk of breakage. Ok if you get your rackets for free but to the normal club/league player it is a gimmick in my opinion.
SquashManiac says
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Just checked offical catalog of technifibre 2013 and 2015.
I made cut some important iformation into a picture from catalog 2015 and 2013.
Please look, link here, you can see that in catalog 2013 showing just 350 mm and in catalog 2015 show 350 mm but also show that its LIGHT head balance.
Also i today i checked alot of rackets different brands like prince, harrow, karakal, head, technifibre, dunlop from selling website and see that :
Most rackets 350 mm shoud be light head.
Most rackets 360-365 even balance
And over 365 like a 370-380 will be head heavy.
So i finnaly i think carboflex 125 its LIGHT HEAD BALANCE.
Pierre Bastien says
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Thank SquashManiac, I agree that is head-light. I think what they are trying to say in the catalog is that if you remove the bumper strip from the head, it will become even MORE head-light.
Michel Goulche says
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Yes, removable bumper a there for a good reason. Also internet shop are sometime wrong when they discribe a product which increase the “chaos” !
Best thing to do when you have a question : write a mail to the manufacturer, tecnifibre is pretty reactive.
Cheers
Michel Goulche says
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I think its neutral balance, but head light if you remove the bumper.
George says
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The weight of the bumper wouldnt make too much difference
Ole says
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Removable bumper probably 5 gram.
5 grams on the the tip makes big difference for swing weight and feel. It is 1cm difference in balance and will change racket balance from ex. head heavy to even.
My carboflex 125(2014) was originally 35,7 cm balance from store, shaving bumper of with knife got 5 grams reduction made 34,7cm almost even.
Even is 34,3cm. Half the total racket length: 68,6cm.
But most manufacturers are making chaos with misleading information regarding specs regarding balance weight etc. Some call 37cm balance for even (racket feel?)
I like to play different specs rackets, but will get all sorts of trouble physically in the long run with minute changes in specs like 1cm, 5 grams changes, head heavy, stiffer strings etc
Hurray!
Ole
George says
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I shaved the bumper away from a harrow spark and eventually took off the end cap in attempt to see how light it could feel, im probably too used to the racquet by now but it feels no different to my two other standard ones xD
SquashManiac says
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In a fog now…
squashsource marked carboflex 125s – head light balance, carboflex 125 marked Neutral balance
Alost of selling website marked this racket as head heavy balance.
So who can open sky for me ? thx
Pierre Bastien says
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They’re both a balance point of 35 cm (including the bumper). I’ll update the other post to say head-light also 🙂
Larry Howes says
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Hi All,
We just received a shipment of the new Carboflex S series from Tecnifibre, including the 125S.
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.
Check it out at;
http://www.squashunlimited.com/products/tecnifibre-carboflex-125s
Regards,
Larry
michel goulche says
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soooooo, 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 !
ps : Gregoire Marche was also playing with it @ grasshopper
Ole says
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New 125S observed in action i psa grashopper cup! Specially interesting that Rodriguez played with the old yellow yesterday beating Anjema and today using the new red 125s against Castagnet. el shorbagy have also reporting on twitter with photo that he got his new babies!
michel goulche says
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just order mine yesterday at a very cheap price in a e-shop.
And yes i was looking forward to see it in play at El Gouna…I just saw an instagram pix from Grégoire Marche stringing a bunch of 125S. Maybe at the grasshopper.
Ole says
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Michel
Looking forward to hear your experience with the Red S . Some ads say the shaft should play different say stiffer for more power, going from isomorph to isosharp (!) consept/design. This can be marketing hype just to have something new for the season (remember Sharkskin). The old yellow 125 is pretty stiff enough anyway? Maybe a slight differece inn feel of shaft/ball/string response in combination with the phsycological color change will disturb nervous elite players until season is over and go red in Hongkong?
Thanks to CorpPilot for sharing very interesting valuable early pioneer experience that they practically play identical!
Exited to see some red in upcoming Grashoppers/Swiss also!
Hurray!
CorpPilot says
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No problem guys! Been logging some good court time with them and honestly , the classic 125 is identical in play. Especially with the standard grommet strip in play.
It is a bit weird that None of the team players were using the 125s at El Gouna…..
CorpPilot says
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Not sure on how to post pics on here… But if someone has the way, feel free to leave me the details.
Anyways!
I got two of the Carboflex 125s’s yesterday and went to town on them on the courts with a pretty comprehensive practice and comparison session. Then today I played them (I broke the strings on one of them during the game).
To start off with the differences between the 125 and the 125s. At this point I can almost guarantee that they are the same rackets with different cosmetics and different gromet strips. Paul from PDH sports mentioned that there is some minor vibration upon striking the ball with the 125 and says that this is eliminated from the 125s…. this is false. If anything, it is slightly reduced….. but virtually the same.
The power and control are spot on, as the 125 is and always has been. Dont change the best …. Tecnifibre doesnt disappoint in the power and control department as anyone currently playing with the 125 knows.
The new two piece gromet strip is interesting….. the from protector piece along the top of the racket is removable. You will need to remove the longer, full length (black)piece to be able to remove the clear piece that protects the top. The idea is interesting and I might do this considering I broke the strings on one today and will need to re lace it up anyways. That being said, I am happy with the balance it currently has….. Maybe I wont.
To sum it all up. 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. ***If you are happy with the current 125 balance/control/power….. use this opportunity to get some 125 “classics” for reduced prices, as the 125s will not offer you anything different. However, if you found the “classic” 125 a little too head heavy….. The 125s will impress!
Cheers
CP
LM says
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Great info. Currently I play with a Head 115 racket so swutchung to a more “advanced” racket like the 125s would give me options to come down if too heavy.
So April when exactly is it dropping?
michel goulche says
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Thank you very much CorpPilot for this helpful review.
To LM : they are already there, at least in UK, AU, FR.
Found one at 120€…cant resist !
michel goulche says
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wow and they give an extra 10% so 107€ , i have no excuse.
LM says
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In the US nothing yet, not in Amazon at least . I’ll ask my pro shop see if they heard anything yet.
CorpPilot says
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I have played with quite a few rackets this year. I got back into squash after a 20 year break from age 15. I suppose school and career got in the way. But coming back into the game I wanted the shock to be the least and thought that light was the way to go. I started with the Head Graphene 115…. great stick but not enough power and control. I then tried the Prince AirStick 130…. had the power…. but the big spaces in the stringing pattern did not provide much control at all….. Alas.. the Carboflex 125.
Now I play 4-5 times a week since my return to the game and have gone from a E player to a tournament winning C player with some help from my coach. I cant stress anymore how much a difference A) the tecnifibre 305 string and B) the Carboflex 125 has made in my game. Right off the start I noticed that the racket has some very minor vibrations in it. Something I notice less and less each time I play. But the racket has so much more control I think due in part to the close grouping of strings in the sweetspot. The string brings the power up as well. The hybrid of the power from the string and the control from the racket all paired into a relatively light 125gram weight. WINNER!
I have just bought two of the 125s’s and will report back after a comprehensive two week training camp in two weeks!
Cheers
CP
michel goulche says
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Nice ! I could share the same story : Back to the game after a 25 years break, playing better than ever 3 or 4 times a week, try many rackets : Eyes, Prince, BestGame, Unsquashable, Oliver, Dunlop but the carboflex 125 is by far my favorite, suit my game perfectly.
michel goulche says
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Where did you find the 125S, supposed to be out in april only ?????
CorpPilot says
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Lets say that the friend who turned me onto Tecnifiber, has some pull here in Canada and got me a pair. Ill take some pics and write some impressions in the coming weeks here. I can honestly say that Tecnifiber makes the best rackets and by far the best string. Everyone here is Canada is obsessed with Ashway String…… absolutely garbage in comparison…. no matter what your game. There is a HUGE reason that most on the PSA tour are using 305…….
michel goulche says
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lucky you ! Cant wait for your impressions on the racket but since then i may have order one.
Cant agree more about the strings they make…and also look how many player on the tour use the 125. At all level.
michel goulche says
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Thanks a lot will and Ole for the info !!!! I think i have fund my next bat !
Ole says
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Thanks Michel for sharing and spotting it out in the first place!
We can probably see it in action for the first time at WSA/PSA/SquashTv in tournament WindCity Chicago, coming up next thursday!
Looking forward!
Will says
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And also the 15-16 tecnifibre Catalog:
http://issuu.com/tecnifibre/docs/catasquash_tecnifibre_2015_en_8ec94130b919f3
junaid says
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How’s the result of new carbofkex 125s and what’s the difference between 125 and 125s
Thanks.
Pierre Bastien says
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So far I’ve only seen the picture 🙂
michel goulche says
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From what i understand there an improvement on the bumper. It will be in 2 parts…
I have no idea what the benefice of that…
Ole says
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I think it is so you can easily remove the protection part of bumper, but still have grommets strip. Inviting players to easier customize their rackets themselves, by alter total weight and balance in a click?
Removing bumper part1 will shave probably aprox 10 grams of total weight of the tip without using knife or/and sand paper(old french trick), to alter balance towards handle. You will get two different feeling rackets in one – size fits all
If it is a click system, hope bumperpart 1 stays on place when playing!
Hurray!
Rod Foster 🛡️ says
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i’ve read on tecnifibre reviews that the carboflex 125s removable bumper can only be removed when replacing strings.
Liam farmer says
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I just got the 125 s and its helped my game a lot i have more confidence with my shots 9~10 love it