Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite Review

Racket	Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite
Shape	Teardrop
Advertised frame weight	125 grams
Actual weight (inc. strings & grip)	156 grams
Weight distribution	Even
String	Dunlop Iconic Pro AF
Grip	Dunlop Hydramax Pro
Stringing pattern	14×19
Colour	Red/black
Endorsed by	Sarah Jayne Perry, Sabrina Sobhy, Victor Crouin, Lisa Aitken, Sam Todd
Release date	2021
Purchase links	Amazon | PDH Sports

First, a little back-story on the Dunlop Revelation Pro Lite.

Cast your mind back to 2017 – Dunlop partners with future world #1 Ali Farag to launch his signature racket, the Revelation Pro. His meteoric rise to success gave his racket plenty of time in the limelight, and with it, hordes of players wanting to emulate the way Farag plays, armed with his own personal racket.

When Dunlop brought the Revelation Pro racket to market, they bravely opted to launch it exactly how Ali Farag likes it – that being lightweight, yet ultra-head heavy. With his relaxed swing technique, this setup suits Ali’s style perfectly, allowing for the racket to do almost all of the work for him. 

This bold move from Dunlop paid off, with plenty of players picking up the Revelation Pro. However, many players struggled to adapt to the weight and balance of the racket, eventually opting for more evenly balanced or head-light rackets. 

Step in, the Revelation Pro Lite.

Dunlop wanted to capitalise on the success of Ali Farag, and at the same time, launch a racket that would appeal to more players. While still offering the standard Revelation Pro with its ultra-head-heavy balance, in 2018, Dunlop Launched the Revelation Pro Lite. 

The Revelation Pro Lite featured the same shape, weight, and almost the same paint design as its heavier sibling, however, instead of being head heavy, this racket is evenly balanced.

This was a calculated move from Dunlop that I’m sure paid off – the Pro Lite is now the racket I tend see in the hands of most club-level and professional players.

Fast forward to 2021, and Dunlop has Launched the third iteration of the Revelation Pro Lite – the Sonic Core. This racket features ‘Infinergy’ technology, which places a unique foam compound (the same that can be found in Adidas’s Boost soles) at the 2 and 10 O’clock sections within the racket frame. This promises reduced vibrations and much greater rebound properties. 

The Revelation Pro Lite is now used by plenty of top professionals, including British #1 Sarah-Jane Perry, top American player Sabrina Sobhy, and one of Britain’s top future players, Sam Todd.

Purchase links:
Amazon
PDH Sports

Putting the Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite on the Scales

Racket	Weight in head (g)	Weight in grip (g)	Overall (g)	Weight distribution
Dunlop SC Revelation Pro Lite	83	73	156	53.2%
Dunlop SC Revelation pro	87	69	156	55.8%
Tecnifibre Carboflex 125	82	74	156	53.8%
Dunlop SC Revelation 125	79	73	152	52.0%
Head Speed SB135	80	78	158	50.6%

When comparing the Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite to similar rackets, you can see exactly how it measures up. When compared to the standard Revelation pro, the overall weight is identical, however it’s considerably less head-heavy, with 4 grams less weight in the head. While this doesn’t sound like much, it makes a fairly noticeable difference in practice. 

Interestingly, this racket has an almost identical weight and balance as the Tecnifibre Carboflex Airshaft 125. 

Taking the Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite on court to see exactly how it performs.

Power – 7.5/10

The Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite isn’t the most powerful racket out there, but it can definitely hold its own. With an overall weight of 156 grams and an even balance point, it’s a very ‘down the middle’ kind of racket – I wouldn’t expect to ‘crush’ the ball with this racket, but when I did want to generate power, it was definitely up to the task.

Those looking for a more powerful racket should aim for something with a larger head and a more sparse stringing pattern. This is because the Revelation Pro Lite’s 490cm head size and 14×19 stringing pattern are both orientated towards control, rather than power.

Manoeuvrability – 7.5/10

Again, a very similar story for manoeuvrability. It’s far from the lightest racket on the market, but it’s still quick through the air and easy to manoeuvre. You’ll have no problems taking the ball early and hunting the volley, just don’t expect this to feel like a featherweight racket.

Control, accuracy and consistency – 9.5/10

Where this racket really did excel for me was being able to control the ball. Having a slightly smaller head and more dense stringing pattern, without being too heavy or too light, nor too weak or too powerful, meant I really felt like I had full control of almost every shot. 

As a result, in a simple drop/drive routine, I managed to consistently hit precise, accurate shots, both with my drops and my drives. If the racket were more powerful, I’d have been more prone to overhitting. If the racket were more manoeuvrable, I could have found myself ‘hacking’ at the ball. 

Therefore, this ‘down the middle’ approach mentioned earlier really does come into its own when considering control, accuracy and shot consistency.

I’d like to try this racket with a fresh set of strings – personally I’m not a fan of the factory strings on this racket, which have a fairly ‘brittle’ feel. Alongside this, the paint applied to the strings is quite thick – I’m sure a decent set of strings could push this racket up to the illusive ‘perfect 10’.

On a personal note, I really like the thinner grip profile on dunlop rackets. This is my own personal preference and something I avidly appreciate with squash rackets. To me, it feels closer to an almost ‘pen like’ style of control, where I’m able to really use my grip on the racket to dictate where I want the ball to go. Of course, if you prefer thicker grips, you can always apply an overgrip.

Design – 7.5/10

With its bright scarlet-red paint, this racket certainly stands out among the crowd. As well as this, I really like the matte finish on the paint, and it’s a nice touch that the black paint at the side of the frame follows the shape of the Dunlop logo on the strings.

For me, this racket’s just a little too bright. Though don’t let my own personal opinion sway you – pictures don’t do this racket a great deal of justice, therefore it’s worth checking one out in person if design is something you value in your rackets.

Overall – 8.5/10

Usually when writing racket reviews, I like to pick out one key attribute of each racket. However, the Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite doesn’t really have a single ‘standout feature’. It’s not lightweight, yet it’s not heavy. It’s not overly powerful, nor is it ultra-manoeuvrable. 

However, what this does mean is it’s pretty much a perfect ‘does a little bit of everything’ racket. As a result, I found myself playing some of the most accurate squash I’ve ever played – both to the front and back of the court. This racket truly was a joy to use and really allowed me to focus on the quality of my shots and playing a more ‘solid’ game of squash.

The closest racket to the Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite is likely the tremendously popular Tecnifibre Carboflex Airshaft 125. I feel like the Dunlop offers a touch more control, and the Tecnifibre offers a touch more power, though I’m splitting hairs a little there.

So, if you’re in the market for a racket that offers a little bit of everything and can be classed as a ‘great all-rounder’, then the Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation Pro Lite is definitely one to consider.

Purchase links:
Amazon
PDH Sports