Xamsa VBO 135 Squash Racket

I strung this racket with Technifibre 305 and tested it against a Dunlop Revelation 135 with Technifibre 305 stings and a Carboflex 125 with 305+ strings. I hit with them solo and played matches with all three. Bottom line is that I found the Xamsa VBO to be the best balanced and most versatile of the three.All three are very powerful. My most powerful shots came from Carboflex due to the lighter weight, but it performed relatively poorly on off center hits. The Revelation and VBO were right up there on there on center hits and were much more forgiving on shots closer to the frame than the Carboflex.The Carboflex is head-light, the Revelation is slightly head-heavy, and VBO is a perfect neutral. If you have a short or wristy swing, the Carboflex is nice. If you pound the ball with a bigger swing, the Revelation is nice. The VBO felt perfect though. It seems to do everything well. You can swing it with a short or loopy swing and it’s equally nice.On volleys, the Carboflex’s weight and agility really stand out. However the smaller sweet spot and lighter weight mean you have to be on point and do all the work. The slightly more head-heavy Revelation feels sluggish compared to the other two. The weight, balance, and sweet spot make the VBO awesome for volleying, especially on volleys past your opponent.None of these are what you’d consider a control racket. The string pattern on the Carboflex lend it a little more control when it’s in the sweet spot. Again with the lighter weight, if you miss the sweet spot with the Carboflex on a touch spot, it will be heading towards the tin. The VBO tends to have a little more control than the Revelation.The VBO has integral vibration dampening in the handle, thus offers nice vibration dampening without losing feel. Without a dampener, the stock Revelation vibrated the most, but once you put in 305 strings it actually vibrated less than Carboflex. I have medium sized hands, and the VBO grip felt the best. The Revelation felt sort of round, while the Carboflex was large and round. The Carboflex grip is a huge negative. The Dunlop is the only one with a decent stock grip wrap. The VBO and Carboflex didn’t wrap their grips far enough up the handle and both need to be replaced.

Well balanced and designed. Little to no vibration; a good choice for power hitters. Xamsa provides terrific customer service as well. Upon receiving a slightly damaged racket, Xamsa replaced it quickly and with no questions asked. Putting an arrow on the butt of the handle is a hallmark design detail that lets you know that this racket was thoughtfully designed by people that play the game.

Tons of power, incredible balance and control. It feels lighter than 135 g because of the fairly even balance. Really enjoying this one, it's better than many $150+ rackets I've used over the years.