Hi,

Brett is right in terms of trying out racquets if you can. I've personally played with Dunlop and Black Knight racquets, and although initially my Dunlops seemed a bit more fragile than the BKs, that is no longer a problem as of late with the Biomimetics.

In terms of stores, if there's not enough selection at Sport Chek, try the online retailers. I generally do my purchases at either squashunlimited.com (based in Kingston) or courtsidesports.com (based in BC). Additionally, there's squashzon.com (in Montreal), tdgsportsinternational.com (Toronto) and squashgear.com (US). I've used all of them for racquets and shoes and strings, except for tdgsports.

Best of luck,

D

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 Hi,

Forget the look and forget the price, the best racquet for you starts with what feels best.  Long after you've paid for it the price becomes irrelevant, and in the middle of a rally you probably don't really care what it looks like.  What you will notice with every shot is whether it feels too heavy, too light or if the balance doesn't feel right.  The best thing would be to demo a few racquets at your local club and take note of the weight/balance combination that you like best.  If flex is a consideration, stiffer racquets are a bit more accurate (generally more suited to better players), flexible racquets offer a bit more whip and power (good for novice to intermediate).

A good place to start when selecting a racquet is a weight of around 135grams and a 350-360mm balance point.  It's what I would consider mid weight and even balance.  You can go a little more head heavy (up to 375mm) for more power and a more solid feel.  If you're a wristy player and like to play a touch/deception game, go for a head light racquet (333-345mm).  Balance points outside these limits tend to feel a bit too unbalanced in my opinion.

A larger head size gives more power, a smaller head size gives more control.  I carry a head light and head heavy racquet in my bag depending on what game I want to play.  

Durability is pretty good across all brands, although occasionally there may be issues with a particular frame (dodgy batch maybe).  All manufacturers we stock tend to have this issue from time to time.

Hope this helps.

Brett

SportsTrade Ltd

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