| Racket | Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro |
| Shape | Teardrop |
| Advertised frame weight | 128 grams |
| Actual weight (inc. strings & grip) | 156 grams |
| Weight distribution | Head heavy |
| String | Dunlop Iconic Pro AF |
| Grip | Dunlop Hydramax Pro |
| Stringing pattern | 14×19 |
| Colour | Red/black |
| Endorsed by | Ali Farag |
| Release date | 2021 |
| Purchase links | Amazon PDH Sports |
We took Ali Farag’s brand new squash racket, the Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro on court to bring you our latest squash racket review. Find out how Ali Farag’s squash racket holds up, what we liked, what we didn’t like, and which kind of players it may suit.
Purchase links
Amazon UK
PDH Sports
First, a little back story on the Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro
Ali Farag, the current World #1 (September 2021), signed with Dunlop in 2016. When he began the process of choosing a squash racket, he liked the shape of a racket called the Aerogel 4d Max. To tailor the racket to the way he plays, he tried out various weight and balance combinations until he found one that hit sweet spot. And thus, Ali’s signature racket was born, named the Dunlop Revelation Pro. A head heavy racket, with a dense stringing pattern and medium head size, prioritising power, control and consistency over lightweight manoeuvrability.
The specs Farag chose were on the very far end of the head-heavy scale. At this point, it would be common practice for brands to ‘dampen’ their racket specs for mass market. After all, not every player you come across has limbs like Ali Farag. However, Dunlop decided to be bold and buck the trend.
They released the Revelation Pro exactly to Ali’s specification. This means he could literally pick up a racket from the shelf and it’d be good-to-go. Many top players tweak their rackets slightly – with alterations including adding lead tape to the head of their frames, or shaving down the bumper strip to alter the balance.
Releasing a racket with a lightweight, yet ultra head-heavy balance was a brave move from Dunlop, however it must have paid off. The Sonic Core Revelation Pro marks the third iteration of this frame, with new improvements made to the racket on each launch. It’s now a racket you’ll now see in plenty of players’ hands in squash clubs across the globe. However, Dunlop knows that not every player is going to take to this racket’s specs, so have also released the Revelation Pro Lite alongside – this is a more head-light version of the same frame shape. Keep a look out for our review of that racket, coming soon.
So, what’s new with the Sonic Core Revelation Pro?
The clue’s in the name on this one. Sonic Core – Dunlop’s latest technology first revealed in 2020, has now made its way to their teardrop shaped rackets.
Sonic Core is a compound developed by a company called BASF. It’s the same material that’s found in Adidas’s Boost soles, and is placed at 10 and 2 o’clock within their racket frames. This material has tremendous rebound energy and vibration dampening qualities, meaning improved power and feel on impact with the ball.
Aside from the Sonic Core, the racket has also undergone an external makeover, with a sleek dark red and black paint job.
On the scales: How the Sonic Core Revelation Pro weighs up
Comparing the latest frame from Dunlop to similar weighted rackets really shows you just how head-heavy it is. An extra one or two percent of weight towards the head might not sound like much, but it definitely feels it in practice. To date, this is the most head-heavy off-the-shelf racket we’ve tested.
What’s particularly interesting, is that even though this racket is very head-heavy, overall it’s still a particularly lightweight racket, weighing just 156 grams in total.
| Racket | Weight in head (g) | Weight in grip (g) | Overall (g) | Weight distribution |
| Dunlop SC Revelation pro | 87 | 69 | 156 | 55.8% |
| Tecnifibre Dynergy APX 130 | 85 | 69 | 155 | 54.8% |
| Tecnifibre Carboflex 130 | 83 | 73 | 156 | 53.2% |
| Dunlop SC Revelation 135 | 80 | 72 | 152 | 52.6% |
| Head Speed SB135 | 80 | 78 | 158 | 50.6% |
Taking Ali Farag’s squash racket on court
Okay, taking the racket on court. Now, I’ll be honest, I had a more difficult time getting to grips with this racket than most others. This is in no way a reflection of the racket, but more a reflection of my own personal preferences and ability. Rackets with extreme balances are bound to be polarising, and this is no exception. However, I’ve been as pragmatic as possible when testing out this frame, looking at it from a mostly objective point-of-view, rather than subjective. On to the review…
Power – 8.5/10
This racket has 87 grams of weight in the head. Of the 32 rackets tested on SquashGearReviews.com, that places it in the top 5 heaviest heads. This means the racket delivers power by the bucketload. If a racket has more weight in the head, the ball has less of an impact on the racket when it’s struck, thereby transferring more potential energy into the ball.
There’s two design elements of this racket that stop it scoring the illustrious 10/10 for power. The first is its 490cm² head size – this isn’t as large as other rackets, with some having faces as large as 500cm². Alongside this, it has a dense stringing pattern of 14×19 – rackets with less dense stringing patterns are able to provide more power due to a greater ‘trampoline’ effect on impact. These are intentional design features however, and help to retain control in the racket – something often lost in power-focused frames (more on that later!).
Manoeuvrability – 6.5/10
Unsurprisingly, the Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro doesn’t score too highly in the manoeuvrability category. It’s hardly a feather, though it never claims to be one either. You definitely notice the extra head-heavy balance during match play.
Don’t expect to be playing ‘wristy’ shots with this racket in your hands. Flicking the racket about is a pretty demanding feat – I’m sure with a bit of time you’d get used to it, but it’s something I really did struggle to adapt to at short notice.
To really get the most out of this racket, you need to be well prepared to play your shot. You also need to be able to let the racket ‘do the work for you’. If you watch Ali Farag’s technique, he really utilises the extra momentum this racket generates as it goes through the air. His shots never look forced, it’s a smooth movement where he allows the racket to generate the power, rather than muscle-ing every shot into the front wall.
Touch/control/feel – 8/10
This is where the Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro does surprisingly well. For a racket with such a head heavy balance, Dunlop have managed to avoid sacrificing touch, feel and control. This is thanks to its smaller head size (490cm²) and more dense stringing pattern (14×19), as mentioned earlier.
There’s plenty of feedback through the frame as you hit the ball with this racket, which gave me lots of confidence in my shots, whether playing long drives or taking the ball in short.
Consistency – 8/10
Thanks to the Revelation Pro’s head heavy balance, there’s much less scope for human error than there is with a head light racket. Head light squash rackets place a greater onus on the player to hit the ball correctly, and really expose poorer techniques. This goes back to the fact that a head-heavy racket can ‘do more of the work for you’.
Playing accurate squash with this racket therefore felt like second nature – at least when I was able to properly prepare my swing. Using the extra weight in the head, I was really able to guide the ball to where I wanted it to go, especially playing shots deep into the back of the court.
However, I did struggle to play consistently good shots with this racket when my opponent dialled up the pressure. When I didn’t have time to prepare my swing, the resulting shots suffered due to the fact I just didn’t have the strength to manipulate the racket to where it needed to be.
In simple terms, when I was in control of a rally, the consistency was fantastic, when I was under more pressure, the consistency dropped a fair bit.
Design – 7.5/10
Okay, as ever, design is entirely subjective. For me though, I wasn’t overly sold on the new paint job this racket’s been given. It’s far from a bad looking racket, and does look pretty nice in person. However I really think dunlop nailed the design on the new 125 and 135 rackets in the Revelation series – I’d have loved to have seen the Revelation Pro look more aligned with those two rackets. Swapping the red and black around in this racket could have looked really cool.
This is purely my own opinion though – I’ll let you make up your own mind on this one!
Overall – a squash racket fit for Ali Farag
If you’re looking for a racket that packs a punch in the power department (try saying that after a couple of sherries!) then look no further. And what the Sonic Core Revelation Pro sacrifices in manoeuvrability, it more than makes up for in both power and control.
However, I think this really is a racket that’s suited towards a specific kind of player. Perhaps more ‘traditional’ squash players would be a fair assessment. Prime candidates for this racket would be those who thrive when playing an accurate, deep line and length game, and avoid playing fancy/tricky shots. If you’re the type of player who loves a cross court nick with both feet off the ground and one hand tied behind your back, this probably isn’t the racket for you.
It’s worth remembering that Dunlop also make the Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite – a more head-light version of the exact same frame. We’ll have a review of that racket coming shortly, so keep your eyes peeled!
Together, Dunlop and Ali Farag have designed a really unique racket that caters to a specific type of player – which I think is awesome. It’s perhaps not the racket for me personally, though I can appreciate the benefits and strengths it offers. I’m sure that in the right hands, this racket’s going to be absolutely fantastic – after all, it’s quite literally a racket fit for the World #1.
Purchase links
Amazon UK
PDH Sports
Review of the Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite soon ?