Choosing a squash racket – the ultimate guide

The million dollar question: Which squash racket should I buy?

There’s well over 100 rackets currently available to purchase, all differing slightly from one to the next. Choosing a squash racket can be a little overwhelming for anyone new to squash. If you’re buying your first ‘proper’ racket, It can also be pretty exciting, and if you’re anything like me, it’s easy to get caught up in the little details.

I’ve done my best to break down what to look for in a squash racket. It’s up to you to determine the type of racket that suits your game, and if you’re a beginner, being true to yourself about which racket will give you the best returns for you, rather than looking straight towards the more expensive rackets.

It’s worth remembering that a racket won’t change the way you play squash. What’s more important than anything is finding a racket that you enjoy using and feel confident playing your shots with. Once you’ve ticked those boxes, you’re on your way.

Shape

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The first thing to think about is the shape of the racket. There’s three main shapes:

• Traditional – With these rackets, there’s a bridge across the throat, giving a more old school oval shape, quite similar to tennis rackets. These rackets tend to be made with control in mind, generally suiting players who aim for accuracy over power.
• Teardrop – These rackets started to appear in the 1990s and have grown in popularity since. The longer stringbed theoretically increases the size of the sweet spot, giving you more power, even from slight miss-hits. The majority of players now appear to be using this shape of racket.
• Hybrid – Sitting somewhere between the two above shapes, these theoretically give the advantage of both traditional and teardrop rackets. They’re far less common however, though most Prince rackets are now this shape, and you can find ranges such as Tecnifibre’s Dynergy APX with a hybrid design as well.

Weight

Most modern racket frames weigh between 110 – 140 grams, with only a small handful sitting outside of those parameters.

It’s worth mentioning that this weight measurement doesn’t include the strings and grip, and there’s often a +/-5 gram tolerance. Most rackets actually tend to way 30-40 grams heavier than their advertised weight. Some brands such as Harrow however only advertise their rackets’ ‘all in’ weight, just to confuse things.

• Heavy – anything over 140 grams sits in the heavy category. Possibly the least popular weight among players, these rackets are aimed primarily at beginners who need a little help adding power to their shots. Manoeuvrability is often compromised due to the increased weight.
• Mid weight – between 130-140 grams would typically be seen as a mid weight racket, and is a highly popular weight for intermediate players. These are usually optimised for generating power and can really help provide stability through your swing, leading to much greater levels of accuracy.
• Light weight – Lighter rackets are quickly becoming the new norm in the modern professional game, where the majority of players are opting for rackets between 120-130 grams. The lighter weight often makes these rackets easier to manoeuvre, and modern string and racket technology has allowed manufacturers to ensure these rackets that still deliver ample power.
• Ultra light – Anything under 120 grams can be classed as ultra light. These rackets are favoured by players who thrive on speed, deception and putting their opponent under pressure. The drawback is that power and control are often compromised in order to achieve the ultra light weight.

Lighter ≠ Better

Many people find themselves caught in the ‘lighter must be better‘ thought process, especially as lighter rackets are often more expensive.

It’s worth remembering that the lighter you go, you’re often sacrificing power, consistency and accuracy in favour of speed and manoeuvrability.

A player in my league told me how he’d gradually moved from a 150g racket, all the way down to 110g over the course of his playing career, thinking he was getting a better racket each time. Low and behold, after a few bad games with his 110g racket, he decided to try a 135g racket and instantly played better squash. His ultra-light rackets are now sat in his garage gathering dust.

It’s all about finding the weight that’s right for you, rather than assuming lighter rackets will make you play better.

Having said all of the above, in the grand scheme of things, a racket’s weight isn’t actually as important as you’d think, what makes the most difference is a racket’s balance.

Balance

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• Head heavy – The majority of this racket’s weight is situated towards the top of the frame. This gives the racket a heavier feel and is aimed towards delivering more power. It can help to guide your swing as well, theoretically improving accuracy in your shots, which includes taking the ball in short.
• Even – Sitting between head light and head heavy, evenly weighted rackets offer a balance between power, control and manoeuvrability. Rackets such as Tecnifibre’s Carboflex range are known for being evenly balanced.
• Head light – Head light rackets typically favour players who prioritise speed and deception. They allow you to generate power and direction from your wrist (often called a ‘wristy’ swing). Power is often sacrificed with these rackets however, so you’ll need a fast racket head speed to counter this. You might also find taking shots in short is more difficult with a head light racket as there’s less weight to carry your swing and ‘push’ the ball.

Want to get the best idea of how a racket will feel? look at weight and balance in tandem.

Picture this: A two pence piece weighs just over seven grams. If you stuck one to the bottom of your racket, you wouldn’t even know it was there. If you glued it to the top of your racket, you’d definitely know about it. The position of a racket’s weight has far more impact than its overall weight on the scales.

A prime example of this is the Dunlop Hyperfibre Revelation Pro XT. It’s a ‘light’ racket at only 128 grams, but due to its extra head heavy balance, it feels heavier than most 140, maybe even 150 gram rackets. There’s an official term for combining weight and balance – swing weight.

By looking at both measures in tandem, you should get a good idea of how heavy a racket’s going to feel and play on court.

Durability

Squash is an unforgiving sport for rackets. Some manufacturers such as Tecnifibre even include a warning on their frames that they won’t replace broken rackets due to the nature of the sport.

If you’re a beginner, your racket’s going to be making more contact with the wall, it’s often hard to avoid, therefore you’re going to want a racket that can stand the test of time.

Durability is something that’s hard to measure, however reading customer reviews and comments on websites such as Amazon and PDHSports.com should give you a good idea.

Strings

Without going into too much detail about the many different types of squash strings (that’s a whole post in itself!) – it’s worth looking at the type of string that comes with a racket. Some rackets will come pre-strung with higher quality, more expensive strings, whereas some will come with cheaper ones as standard.

Better strings will give you either more power, control, feel or a combination of any of those three different attributes.

It’s worth remembering that you can always restring your racket if you’re not happy with the stock strings. PDH Sports offer a restringing service at the point of purchase for your racket, and most independent stringers can fit top quality strings from around £18-26.

Grips

Probably the least important attribute on the list of things to consider, some rackets come with higher quality grips than others.

You might find some stock grips to wear away quickly and become slippery at the first sign of sweat, whereas others retain their tackiness over longer periods of time.

This really doesn’t matter a great deal, replacement grips such as Karakal’s PU Supergrip are fantastic and only cost around £3. You can fit these yourself with ease too.

Price

Squash rackets can vary significantly in price. You might immediately assume that the more expensive rackets are the best, however as with most things, clever marketing the law of diminishing returns comes into play.

• £15-40 – Unless you’re playing no more than a handful of times each year, rackets in this price range are generally best avoided. The frames are often made of cheaper, heavier materials with very poor quality strings. You’ll find yourself wanting to upgrade pretty quickly.
• £40-70 – This is where rackets significantly increase in quality, with lighter materials and better strings being introduced. You’ll probably find the best value for money rackets in this bracket. Be weary of the lighter rackets in this price range though, as durability can suffer.
• £70-100 – You’re thinking about sinking some serious money into a squash racket at this point. These rackets are usually light and durable, with decent quality strings and improved durability. It’s the optimum price range if you’re looking to buy a ‘good’ racket. You can also find last season’s most expensive rackets on sale in this price range too – always worth looking out for!
• £100+ – These are marketed as the ‘best of the best’ when it comes to squash rackets. More often than not though, you’re paying for the privilege of using the same rackets as the best players in the world. For most people, you won’t notice a great deal of difference between these rackets and their slightly less expensive counterparts. Some manufacturers do include higher quality strings in these rackets though, which is something worth bearing in mind.
  
  Alongside this, more expensive rackets are often designed with professionals in mind, and as such prioritise things such as touch and feel instead of forgiveness, and therefore have smaller ‘sweet spots’. Putting a top flight racket in the hands of a beginner could be compared to sitting a learner driver in a Ferarri. Sometimes you have to learn walk before you try to run!

Choosing a squash racket – In summary

Who’d have thought so much thought goes into choosing a squash racket? With so much choice, it’s hard to know where to start.

The best advice I can give is to try out a rackets before you buy it. If there’s a squash store near you, make the trip to try out the rackets in person. If you’re not near a shop, PDH Sports offer a racket trial where you can send a racket back within 10 days, as long as the plastic wrap is still on the grip and the frame has no scuffs.

‘Blind buying’ a racket can lead to some serious disappointment. I know plenty of people who’ve sunk money into an expensive racket to find they just didn’t enjoy using it, and they’re now stuck with a racket that they struggle to use.

It’s all about finding a racket that works for you. You’ll have more idea of exactly what this is as your game evolves. You might find your preferences change over time, so start with what feels the best, put the time into developing your game and you’ll soon learn whether or not you want to use a heavier or lighter racket, what balance suits the way you play, the type of strings you like and so on.

Enjoy the journey, and try not to spend too much money on the way!