Here is the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 X-Speed squash racket:
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Racket Specs chart
Release year: 2018Advertised weight (unstrung): 125 gramsHead size: 500 cm sqString pattern: 14x18Measured weight (all-in): 151.5 gramsMeasured balance: 36 cmFactory strings: Tecnifibre DNAMX
Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 X-Speed Review
The Tecnifibre 125 X-Speed is the top-of-the-range model from Tecnifibre’s 2018 Carboflex X-Speed series. It rolled out worldwide around March 2018, and it replaced the Tecnifibre 125 S, which had been one of the most popular rackets of the prior 3 years.
The other rackets in the new X-Speed range are:
- Tecnifibre X-Speed 125 NS. This is a signature cosmetic for Nour El Sherbini, hence the “NS” in the name. It also has a smaller grip.
- Tecnifibre X-Speed 130
- Tecnifibre X-Speed 135
- Tecnifibre X-Speed Storm
This is my review of the X-Speed 125:
Here is a review from Paul at pdhsports.com:
Paul also interviewed Mohamed Elshorbagy about the racket:
There are some excellent reviews in the comments that are worth reading through.
Here’s a trailer from Tecnifibre:
Here are some close-up photos from qss-squash.nl:
You can see from this photo that they have introduced a rubber piece at the end of the grip so that if you re-grip your racket, you can put the piece of rubber over the top of your grip, to retain a clean look and feel:
Another interesting product development are the so-called iBlades that run up the sides of the shaft. These are supposed to act as a form of reinforcement to make the racquet a bit stiffer, which I personally like:
Spotted
Here are some sightings of the Tecnifibre Carboflex X-Speed 125 on the pro tour.
Mohamed El Shorbagy first started using it at the 2018 Tournament of Champions:
Mohamed had really been looking forward to the launch of his new signature racket:
Photo via @Tecnifibre →
His brother Marwan El Shorbagy was even using it for a bit (although now he uses the 130 X-Speed):
Photo via @_SandeepKBhat →
Richie Fallows (in the background) was using it at the British Nationals:
Hania El Hammamy was using it at the 2019 TOC:
Photo via tocsquash.com →
So was Zeina Mickawy:
Photo via tocsquash.com →
Rachel Arnold used this racquet at the 2019 World Champs:
Photo via Steve Cubbins →
Joshna Chinappa was spotted with it at the 2019 Black Ball Open:
Photo via BlackBallSquash →
Nadine Shahin had the X-Speed 125 in 2019 at the El Gouna International:
Photo via #elgounasquash →
Thanks
Thanks to Lloyd and Andre for the tips!
Brent says
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Yes – The revelation 125. It is a really neat racquet and the head speed nearly makes up for the loss in stiffness allowing for crafty reverse boasts etc.
But… It broke. I wouldn’t mind having another, but it’s not durable. The xspeed actually has pretty decent touch and it really inspires confidence.
If you get it and don’t like it, I imagine resale would be better on it vs. Revelation..
Joao says
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Many thanks!
That’s a really good point re Resale.
On the other hand, New Dunlop rackets released yesterday. Wonder if it is just a new paint job….! Thanks for all the help.
Brent says
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Yes. I actually just sold it. I also have the Dunlop that is Farag version.(red/silver/black).
To me, the trade off in lightness isn’t worth it and I preferred the Farag version. That one has a lot of off-center deflection and I wasn’t hitting boasts or other shots as consistently.
I also had the ultra head light Dunlop and that racquet was great. It flexed, but it really felt like an extension of my arm. However, it broke (snapped cleanly) at the handle under normal use. I haven’t broken a racquet in 6 plus years prior.
All said, still loving the technfiber. Hitting my straightest shots with incredible power and decent feel. (Also little arm fatigue).
I broke my Farag strings and will replace with Technifiber 305 stringsfor a better comparison between racquets.
Joao says
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Many thanks. By Dunlop ultra head light you mean the Revelation 125, right? If that is the case, sorry to bug, but how would you compare it to the x-speed?
My dilema is that I am using the NM racket with ultranick 18 at 25lbs and although I like the soft feel and feel the control is there, I do miss a bit of power. I have tried to lower the tension but control suffered too much – in my Therefore, being a sort of control player, the question is whether I go for the x-speed, the revelation or the precision ultimate – very hard to decide. Comments welcomed and much Thanks
Brent says
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This racquet has so much going for it that it is almost unfair. It blows away Dunlop and Head’s best.
I feel Pierre holds back on this because it is such a game changer. I think the only racquet that may be comparable based on game style is Harrow for it’s buttery smooth volleys.
The power is next level. People say I hit it harder than anyone and this just makes it effortless. It’s stiff but not board like. It’s biggest weakness is the lack of traditional feel, but at same time you instantly know if you mis-hit the ball – but you don’t because it projects shots down the line like nothing before. Where others you catch yourself frustrated for catching the sidewall, this just tracks as you expect.
I didn’t try too many drops, but plan to on next outing..Had too much fun with power.
John says
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This is my racquet of choice, I have 2, one with the 17g DNAMX factory string, and other with the green 305 in 17g for some variety, and I couldn’t agree with you more. Both racquets regardless of the string .. so smooth, solid and great punch.
To add to yours (because I do like to drop a lot), drops are Excellent once you adjust.
A Game Changer for sure, I love this racquet!
satanama says
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Which Harrow racquet are you referring to?
Brent says
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I’m unsure. It’s green and white and rather headlight.
Update: the Carboflex is indeed a game changer. Got a game off top club player which never had happened before!
Joao says
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Have you tried the Dunlop Hyperfibre Evolution Pro (Nick Mathew)? If so, how would you compare it in terms o control – no doubt about the power 😜. Thanks in advance
ivan says
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a new Miguel Rodriguez signature racket called
carboflex cannonball 125
printed Colombia flag color on the Y area
Kevin says
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where did u see this. is there a pic
ivan says
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yes i got a picture, but there’s no attachment button to post it.
Pierre says
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Thanks guys I posted it here:
https://www.squashsource.com/tecnifibre-carboflex-cannonball/
Leon says
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Has anyone found the 125 X-speed to be bit more head-heavy than the 125 Heritage?
Rod says
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I promised a review of this racket a little while ago and so here it is. In short this is a very good racket but ultimately wasn’t the one I liked the most during my play testing and I ended up buying the Dunlop Hyperfibre+ Evolution instead.
My reasoning for opting for the Dunlop are that I felt like it offered a little more power and accuracy and a little bit of a bigger sweet spot. Now this is not to say that this Tecnifibre is particularly lacking in any of those areas but it just felt to me to be a couple of points down on the Dunlop. The one that was most noticeable was the sweet spot. Now I play at a pretty high level and I don’t go around miss hitting the ball a lot but when I do it often leaves my length short which can get me out of position and it just seemed that the Dunlop would allow me to get a way with a slight miss of the sweet spot a little better.
Now to the good stuff. This racket is very quick and manoeuvreable which makes it terrific for reflex volleys and a quick hold and flick. Volleys and holds are two big parts of my game and because of that (and Tecnifibre’s really good history of durability) I nearly picked this racket as the winner, but the reality was that I just felt that the Dunlop was the better all around racket and it was a little bit cheaper.
So long story short, it’s a really good racket and particularly great if you have a short swing and love to volley. Just because I went with a different option shouldn’t put you off buying one because it is a very high performing racket.
Pierre says
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Thanks Rod. I am still loving my Evolution as well. I’m going to be testing out the X-Speed 125 soon, so I’ll see how it stacks up!
Bilal says
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Hi all,
I just bought this racket and not as impressed with the racket after one day on court. Perhaps its the factory strings, but there is too much vibration on anything other than perfect sweetspot hits.
Anyone else experienced this, and changed the strings setup on it for a smoother power delivery?
Jason says
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I’d recommend switching DNAMX for supernick zx micro. After a couple days with the micros, something happens and they just turn magical. 305 and DNAMX are great, but the micros retain their tension much better after the first day, and the touch / power balance is superb. my favorite strings go
supernick zx 17/18 > 305 > ultranick 18 > dnamx > x-one
Bilal says
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Thanks Jason. I changed to string setup to Head Evolution Pro at 24 lbs, and the vibrations completely died out. Even though these strings aren’t the most powerful, the X-speed 125 is generating HUGE power.
As Paul from PDH sports says in his video, this really is probably one of the best rackets in the market right now. I can reaffirm that, having recently tried quite a few popular new models. Its very quick through the shots for power, near perfect drop shot control and easy to lob with. The handle/grip are seriously well designed too (though i wish it were a big less wide at the top for a choked grip).
One important factor to note for those interested in buying this racket, is that the sweet spot is more centralized on the string bed compared to the Dunlop’s (which I’m used to) & Head’s teardrop shaped rackets. So its probably better suited for those who hit the ball slightly further away from the top of the racket frame, as for most classic shape rackets.
fabio says
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no doubt about it!! its a non forgiving raquet!!! maybe to much for my level, it vibrates a lot changing tension cords helps but it stills vibrate when you hit of the center of the raquet
Jason Kim says
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I currently have this racquet, the 125S and the nick matthew dunlop hyperfibre pro (whatever the model he used this past season is called). I have to say, after playing with it for a couple months now it is by far my favorite racquet I’ve ever used. It feels a bit like the 125S but without the bumper strip, but obviously it has the bumper strip so it has that bit of extra durability over the 125S. It also feels a bit lighter and less bulky on the grip than the 125S, although that might be because of how I actually gripped my racquets. Overall it just feels like a faster racquet than both the hyperfibre and the previous model. I find the new gimmick of the rubber tecnifibre branding thing on the grip to be actually fairly useful in guiding me when I regrip my racquets. its a bit of a convenient “stop here” point.
I would highly recommend this racquet.
Pierre says
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Thanks Jason!
Joao says
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Many thanks for the useful opinion and sorry to bug with what is clearly a very subjective issue. Nevertheless I would appreciate if you could share a bit more about the differences between the new TF and the Dunlop. I own 2 of those Dunlop’s with Ashaway Zx Micro at 26lbs and although I am very happy with them, I could use a bit more power. Any comments on the difference between the TF and the Dunlop would be very appreciated! Thanks and cheers
JB says
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I have the same Dunlop and restrung with Tecnifibre X-One at 20 and big difference. Tried many of the Ashaway strings and just don’t measure up. More power and feel from the Tecnifibre and at lower tensions the Ashaway moves all over the place. The main difference between the TF and Dunlop is the Dunlop has a stiffer/solid frame. The TF has longer mains so in theory should have more power if the stiffer frame Dunlop doesn’t make up for the longer strings on the TF. I get more than enough power from the Dunlop X-One combination and with the stiff frame good control/touch.
Enjoy the game!
João says
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Many thanks! Very helpful. Does that mean that one can say that the Dunlop is likely to vibrate less or that is not the case and they are both the same in that regard?
Jason Kim says
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The dunlop feels a bit clunkier and larger. What that means for me is that it’s harder for me to whip the racquet around to generate lots of power.
Also, just swinging normally with both, the TF generates more power. I’m not sure why, but it feels really clean and strong with every hit. With the dunlop it’s a bit of a tossup as to if it’ll generate power or not.
Joao says
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Many thanks. Sweetspotwise: would you say they are equal or is one that stands out? Many thanks again!
JB says
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It’s all about the string, the Dunlop won’t vibrate as much and is the stiffer frame. Enjoy the game!
Awais Ibrahim says
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I recently moved from 125S to 125X. Now I had purchased this when it came out but was more accustomed to the 125S so didn’t shift. However one day I forgot the 124S at home so started playing with the 125X. Initially the shots were definitely more powerful however the sweet spot needed to be hot to generate the power. Once I got more comfortable with it, I started to hit better and the lack of flex on the racquet really gelled in well when compared to the 125S. Now my game is much better than before and I’ve gotten used to the 125X and feel it to be a better racquet than the 125S. I am able to have more control. The racquet moves quicker through the air and the power is remarkably more than the 125S. I am loving this racquet and I believe I have found the one. The grip is better. I have small hands and 125X feels less chunkier than the 125S which leads to better handling.
Allen says
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Any idea what’s the default tension for both versions (125NS)? I am getting good power, length and control. As such, just wanted to know the tension for restringing next time.
I have better/fuller grip with the 125NS with smaller hand (shorter fingers too)! With that I think control is better for me, in terms of drops. However, I’m getting a couple of blisters with the “new” smaller grip which should be gone once getting used to it.
Pierre says
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I think manufacturers usually string them around 27. But then they ship them from China and they go through baking heat / bitter cold on the boat journey so it’s hard to tell what you end up with at the shop.
Richard says
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I bought one of these, had the 125S and really liked it and after the PDH review could not contain my excitement for the new one. However I found this racket to have a very different feel, more chunky and less manoeuvrable than the 125s (I didn’t remove the bumper), and while it was good on drives, it didn’t give me the range of quick reaction shots you would expect from a top of the range lightweight racket. I have gone back to my 125s.
Christian Pedersen says
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Hi
I bought this racket about 1 month ago and is a little disappointed. I have the original Carboflex 125 (yellow&black) from 3 years ago and I still think that is better. My 3 year old Carboflex 125 (yellow&black) still has the original 305+ strings (now Dnmax) and they are still harder strung than my new 125 x-speed.
I have better short game control with my old 125 than with the new x-speed.
Does anyone else share this feeling?
How come the new x-speed is not strung as tight/hard as my 3 year old 125?
Would I get a better experience having my new x-speed restrung? Does anyone know how many pounds the x-speed is strung at? and how much the original was?
I know there is a “Heritage” version now – but I dont trust this one as it has completely different strings than before and I think Technifibre does not want it to be a match for the x-speed. What do you think?
b says
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i’ve tried / sampled them all. in short, they are all awesome rackets to be fair. the old (yellow / black) racket is an all-time classic.
my favourite though, is the Nour Sherbini version of the X-speed (with the blue cosmetic), I really like the thinner handle on it too (robbed from Prince rackets?) – overall it’s just quality
Bill says
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If I shave off the bumper like Mohammed, will I break the racquet faster than if I don’t?
Kevin says
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Yes, although Tecnifibre rackets are generally very durable to begin with so I don’t think it will become too fragile without a bumper.
Ibby says
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If I get this racket do I need to restring it and if so which one would you recommend for this racket to make it better
Pierre says
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Tecnifibre has good factory strings, you can use those. If you get it restrung you can use Tecnifibre again if you liked it, or try any other squash string
D says
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Looks like they’ve done away with the removable bumper design, which I think is a positive. I don’t know anyone who removed the bumper for play. The design made the bumper more prone to having chunks break and peel off, which made the head lighter and changed the balance.
Squasher says
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I played with removed bumper 😛 preferred the lighter weight. Racket head speed increased tremendously…
It think it’s a pidy you can’t remove it on the x-speed. shorbagy plays without bumper…
M says
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I removed the bumper on my 125S too. It greatly improved maneuverability and I would definitely recommend any decent player to do it.
As for the reduced durability, as someone else rightly pointed out, most Tecnifibre rackets are more than durable enough for most intents an purposes. My 125S lasted about 2 years without the bumper.
Andre says
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Hi Pierre,
The Tecnifibre website says that the NS has a thinner grip; looks like it is aimed at women.
B says
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have you a link to that please?
many thanks!
Baran says
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Does anybody know when it will release in the US?
Pierre says
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I believe this is rolling out worldwide in March
Lloyd says
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I think Richie Fallows has just started with this racket in the national championships??
Pierre says
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Thanks, added a video of Richie to the post above
oscar says
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Hey guys pre order are available for this squash racket on my-squash.com
Pierre says
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Thanks, added the link to the post above
hansen says
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WHEN IS THIS RACKET COMING OUT
Andrew says
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Early March