The Tecnifibre Suprem SB 135 is new for 2017:
Image via Tecnifibre
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Advertised Specs
Frame weight: 135 grams
Head size: 500 sq cm
Product Notes
This racket replaces the Tecnifibre Suprem 135 in the Tecnifibre lineup.
The new SB model has some changes to the shape of the frame compared to the prior model. You can read about it on the Tecnifibre Suprem SB page. The other rackets in this new range are:
- Tecnifibre Suprem SB 125
- Tecnifibre Suprem SB 130
- Tecnifibre Suprem SB 135 (this racket)
Reviews
Paul at PDH Sports did a review of the new Suprem rackets here:
Niklas says
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Got myself one of theses, and here are my thoughts after a month. The frame has a surprising amount of flex, more than the previous suprem range. I would not call it very flexible but it is not as stiff as most of my other rackets. It has more flex than I am used to, and I am still not sure if I like or dislike this. The racket also has lots of vibration with factory string and tension, which really surprised me since the 305 green is a very soft string. After fiddling around with string tension I found out that you get rid of the vibration by stringing it at about 24-23 lbs or lower, at 25 lbs it still has vibrations with a 305 1,1mm string.
I put the culprit for the vibrations at the rather unusual string pattern. The pattern is very tight at the middle and open ups very much to the outer mains.For some reason this makes the string tension feel much higher than normal, for example at 25 lbs it feels almost like 28 lbs. So go low with your tensions. I also had problems with string breakages when you missed the sweetspot. I broke the strings a couple of times with 305 1,1mm at about the same spot, the outer main strings where the pattern is very open.
Another thing is the weight, which is much higher than expected. I weighed it all in at 166 grams. Still it feels a bit lighter than that, and I would say it feels as it is of “normal” weight. I got it down to 159 grams by changing to a thinner gauge string and a thinner grip, but the balance shifted from even to head heavy so it did not feel any lighter. I also experimented with removing the upper bumper guard/grommet strip and replacing it with eyelet grommets. I got the weight down to 152 grams, and 154 grams with a crash tape. It became head light and much more maneuverable but the vibrations also increased and I ended up putting the bumper/grommet strip back on at the next string job.
After you get used to the little flex and you get rid of the vibrations by stringing at low tensions it actually feels like a good high quality racket. Not as maneuverable as a carboflex but very precise, and you really feel where you hit the ball on the strings. I do think I got a small boost of confidence in hitting drop shots and tight rails with this racket. I have not tried the suprem sb 130 or 125, so I cannot say if these have the same characteristics as this one.