Meet the racket that kicked things off for Tecnifibre. The Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 Heritage was the first 125 gram Carboflex model introduced by Tecnifibre, and was used by both Mohammed Elshorbagy and Nour El Shirbini on their rise to the top of the PSA rankings.
This racket was, and still is so popular that Tecnifibre continues to market and sell this racket, even with three more recent iterations being introduced (the 125s, the X-speed and the Airshaft). In fact, up until Tecnifibre released the Carboflex Cannonball, Miguel Rodriguez continued to use this racket up until 2019, even forgoing his own signature racket, the Dynergy AP 125.
Purchase links
Amazon UK
PDH Sports
I’ve compiled a full history of the Tecnifibre Carboflex range for those interested in some light quarantine reading. It can be found here.
Tecnifibre Carboflex Heritage – Design
Even to this day, the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 Heritage looks sleek and well designed. The combination of matte black, carbon fibre and yellow is a striking look. One thing Tecnifibre can be commended on however is their consistently improved designs, with newer models looking even better. Of course, how a racket looks makes no difference at all to the way you play, but there’s nothing wrong with appreciating a nice design.
Tecnifibre Carboflex Heritage – Touch, control and feel
Well balanced and suited to most playing styles
The Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 Heritage is an evenly balanced racket (it’s not head heavy, nor is it head light), and is relatively light weight at just 125 grams. This makes the racket manoeuvrable, without sacrificing power. It’s a nice combination to have, and makes this racket well suited to most playing styles.
A fairly unforgiving feel for beginner players
There are downsides to the design however, especially for beginner players. Tecnifibre designed the racket with a stiff frame and a fairly dense stringing pattern (the gaps between the strings are relatively small). In real terms, this means the racket feels less forgiving than other rackets due to it having a smaller ‘sweet spot’. This means if you don’t hit the ball in the right place on the racket, you’ll probably know about it.
But fantastic for more experienced players
The benefits to the stiff frame and dense stringing pattern is that the racket has fantastic control, so when you do hit the ball correctly, you should find it goes exactly where you want it to.
With this in mind, I’ve found more experienced players to find greater joy in using this racket, though it’s not to say beginners can’t use it, just don’t be surprised when your shots don’t go quite as planned. The new Dynergy range is designed to help newer players to squash as it has a slightly more forgiving frame and larger sweet spot. I’m hoping to test these once squash courts reopen.
Where the Carboflex Heritage really shines – durability
I’ve personally been using this racket since 2017, and in that time I’ve broken many other frames. Squash is an unforgiving sport at the best of times for rackets, yet the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 Heritage has truly stood the test of time. It’s not like this racket’s just sat in my bag either, I’ve used this racket a lot over the time of having it, probably more than any other racket I’ve ever owned.
It’s been hit against the wall, both by accident and (as much as it paints me to say it!) sometimes on purpose, and yet there’s not a single crack. The paintwork is looking a little worse for wear, as is the bumper guard, but it’s testament to just how well the frame of the racket is made.
Strings
This racket is strung with Tecnifibre’s ‘1.25mm Synthetic Gut’ string, which can currently be picked up for around £35 for a 200m reel. In comparison, the latest model, the 125 Airshaft, is strung with their new Dynamix VP string, which is £240 for the equivalent length. More experienced players may notice a difference in the feel of these strings, but for amateur players, in all honesty, you’ll be just fine. Of course, once the strings break you can put whichever strings you like in the racket, most stringers will be able to fit the newer strings for around £25, give or take a little.
Price
This is the real highlight of the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 Heritage Edition. This racket can often be picked up on PDHSports for under £70, which is an absolute steal when you consider that once upon a time this racket will have sold for around £120. It’s no wonder the racket is so popular in squash clubs across the globe – you’re getting a lot of racket for your money!
Should I buy the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 Heritage, or spend more on newer versions?
The one million dollar question. Well, the £70 question is probably more appropriate. I suppose it depends on what you’re looking for in a racket, if you value having the latest and greatest racket on the market and want to use the same equipment as the top players in the world, then absolutely go ahead and buy the newer models. There’s no shame in that – I’m a sucker for parting ways with my money and have a habit of buying the new models as-and-when they come out.
However, realistically speaking, any non-professional player will struggle to feel the difference between this and the newer models. Tecnifibre only made very gradual changes to their Carboflex rackets over time, and the Heritage edition actually plays incredibly similarly to the much newer X-Speed.
What about other rackets/manufacturers?
Of course, there are other brands outside of Tecnifibre that sell high quality rackets in this price range. Head for instance sell a number of 120/125g rackets for the same price, all of which likely offer a more forgiving feel than the Tecnifibre, however lack the same durability that the Carboflex is famous for.
If you can, I’d suggest to try this racket before you buy it, many beginners are surprised by its unforgiving feel, however many absolutely love the way it plays. It’s all down to personal preference. However, one thing is for certain, this racket will continue to be one of the most popular squash rackets you’ll see in clubs across the globe for many years to come.
Purchase links
Amazon UK
PDH Sports
The Heritage was not the first racket, the Heritage was a remake of the first racket, the originally racket did not have Heritage on the frame, they were similar, but not identical rackets. I have five originals and four of the Heritage.