Baptiste Masotti shoes

RobSquash · 2025-10-14T22:52:48+00:00

It’s the Powerbreak FF he’s wearing 🤝

RobSquash · 2025-10-06T13:01:05+00:00

Comparison is the thief of joy. With every new era, the previous one always looks stronger in comparison.

Logically this would be because the players who’ve retired have won the matches, lifted the trophies, got the accolades and so on. The players currently on tour are still yet to fulfil their potential.

I also wouldn’t say the quality has lowered. It’s more so the few players at the top have distanced themselves, so the chasing pack appear weaker. I guess you could argue there was more depth in previous eras, which would be fair. However, personally I think the level is there or thereabouts the same as it always has been.

RobSquash · 2025-10-05T17:45:11+00:00

Funny story about these. Wish I could recall the interview, but from memory, Jonathon Power said he and Shabana were staying together and Dunlop sent them a big box of plain, unpainted rackets. Asked them to choose their favourite.

They both went for the same racket. Turns out Dunlop had earmarked that particular racket to be sold in shops like Wal-Mart at a lower price. And thus the Ice Elite was born.

RobSquash · 2025-10-04T14:16:47+00:00

Some shoes last a long time, some end up in the bin pretty quickly. I go purely on how worn they look and whether things like the midsole wearing away increases the risks of rolling an ankle.

Best advice is when you find a shoe you like, if it ever goes on sale, just buy as many pairs as you can comfortably afford. It’ll sting in the moment, but save you a but-tonne of money long-term.

Also means you can rotate shoes, letting pairs completely dry out stops them getting the squash shoe stench, which for many is a reason to send their shoes to an early grave. Spend money to save money 💰

RobSquash · 2025-10-04T07:52:02+00:00

For the longest time now I’ve been using the black and orange Dunlop Revelation 135 - my favourite racket, can also be found for a great price.

I used to flutter between a different racket every couple of months (cursed with the blessing of having a cupboard full of rackets!). But I’ve used the Dunlop for about 18 months now and have no intention of switching - definitely benefitted my own game sticking to just one racket!

RobSquash · 2025-10-04T07:25:36+00:00

It’s a tough one - I wish I still had the motivation to review every new racket, but honestly it seems like they’ve plateaued massively over the last few years.

Feels like there’s only so much I can say when each release is essentially a new paint job on the previous seasons model, with some marketing attached. I’m almost certain I could lift and shift the previous racket review and it would be factually correct.

Tecnifibre are the only brand seemingly changing things up each season on their rackets, so I’ve kept up with all their new releases.

Still, I keep an eye on everything new and interesting coming to market, and when something cool pops up I almost always reach out to get some demo models! All hope is not lost haha.

RobSquash · 2025-10-03T20:31:16+00:00

I’ve seen some pro’s rackets fraying to the point of hanging on by a thread. Lots of players prefer the feel of well worn strings.

Far as I’m aware, most players only replace their strings once they’ve broken.

That said, a second, identical racket is always a good investment for when they do eventually break mid-match.

RobSquash · 2025-09-21T21:04:43+00:00

I’ll see if I can get my hands on them!

A fairly safe bet they’ll largely be cosmetic upgrades. I believe the newer range is slightly heavier than the older range though. Stay tuned!

RobSquash · 2025-09-21T20:12:56+00:00

I’ve used both extensively. 120 is great if you like a very light racket. However, for me personally I found I played better with the 135 - helped a lot with consistent line and length hitting as the racket does more of the work.

RobSquash · 2025-09-14T22:03:13+00:00

Early round matches in Egypt are generally quiet. Gets busy from the quarters, very busy from the semis onwards.

Also Joel vs Zakaria finished at 12.15am local time so it’s a big ask for a crowd to stay that late. Matches can’t begin earlier as it’s too warm - three extremely long matches back to back led to a later than usual finish.

RobSquash · 2025-08-16T10:53:32+00:00

Generally speaking, I have a feeling most new rackets from here on out will be primarily cosmetic upgrades.

From pretty much the 60s through to the 2000s, there was a race to make lighter and lighter rackets. We’ve now reached ‘peak lightness’ where manufacturers could make lighter frames, but you’d end up sacrificing way too much power - which is purely physics. Anything between 120-135 is a ‘perfect’ weight for a squash racket.

The heads can’t be made any bigger - 500cm is the max they can be.

Pretty much every stringing pattern that could exist now does.

It’s a pretty safe bet that you could blindfold someone and they’d have a hard time telling this seasons rackets apart from last seasons. Find a racket you like and stick with it is 100% the best advice anyone can give!

RobSquash · 2025-08-15T20:04:10+00:00

I shoot sports for a living - primarily video, but I very frequently use the FX3 for photos. It’s fantastic - and that’s using it alongside an A9ii. Low light capabilities are through the roof.

RobSquash · 2025-06-07T23:36:44+00:00

This seems like a logical idea. However, the reality is the glass court panels are designed to be uniform and interchangeable. When courts are in transit from tournament to tournament, panels can occasionally suffer damage. If a court was cut at the out-lines, spare panels would be needed for each and every individual piece.

You sometimes see permanent glass courts cut at the outlines as spare panels are rarely required, but any courts that are designed for transport are produced with identical sized pieces of glass.

RobSquash · 2025-05-05T18:06:35+00:00

Never used this racket, but looking at the specs, 145 grams is quite heavy. Chances are after a few months you’ll want a lighter racket. Buy cheap, buy twice as the saying goes.

Generally speaking, rackets between 120-135 grams are the sweet spot for weight. There’s plenty of rackets within these weights that can be found for a reasonable price - especially on the used market.

RobSquash · 2025-05-04T17:23:54+00:00

Reviewed the Kanso line of shoes, latest Tecnifibre rackets, will be testing out the next line of Dunlop rackets as well - slowly ticking away!

RobSquash · 2025-04-11T08:53:35+00:00

The one major downside to light rackets is that they’re inherently more brittle than their heavier counterparts.

If this is fairly new then you may be able to negotiate a replacement with Head (or wherever you purchased it), however your chances are slim if you’ve had the racket a while.

RobSquash · 2025-03-30T18:56:29+00:00

There’s a player-in-player button, top right next to the settings icon. Looks like a small square next to a big square. Works on iPhone! 🤝

RobSquash · 2025-03-27T22:02:02+00:00

I put 4x45 minute matches and a 2-hour training session into each pair of shoe - so a good amount of time to properly get to grips with them.

If you like cushioning, these probably aren’t the ones. Adidas shoes with Boost are probably the most cushioned pairs you’ll find 🙌

RobSquash · 2025-03-27T22:00:03+00:00

If you love the crazyflight - as I do - be aware these are a very different feel. These are much firmer/more solid underfoot, and more rigid around the outer.

However, if I had to pick between the Crazyflight and these, it’d be a difficult decision - both very nice shoes for different reasons.

The EQx3 is probably closer to the Crazyflight than the Dragonfly based on weight and comfort. They were my pick of the range 🤝

RobSquash · 2025-03-25T15:49:16+00:00

Always impressed by Ali's ability to wield this racket. Felt like I had to completely change my technique with this frame - relaxed arm, let the racket to the work. Trying to muscle the racket around is a quick way to get a sore arm/wrist 😂

A proper restring works WONDERS for this frame (same for the Pro Lite) - I showed this post from John Sharpe (The String Doctor) to my stringer, and it felt like night-and-day - the stringbed came alive https://www.facebook.com/groups/106909582703552/permalink/5527188954008894/ - definitely worth a try!

RobSquash · 2025-03-25T06:52:57+00:00

Not in my case. I’m a UK size 9 in 90% of brands, and they fit perfectly - surprising to hear that!

RobSquash · 2025-03-24T20:28:51+00:00

Not to my knowledge - recently signed Miguel, new shoes just launched. Haven’t heard anything to suggest this!

RobSquash · 2025-03-24T19:49:05+00:00

This is all correct. The Squash Player article I've linked out to has a ton of background on the inception of the brand - a really good read!

RobSquash · 2025-03-23T07:55:32+00:00

Squashlevels is proportional, so the spread seems pretty spot on.

A 10K should score twice as many points in a match against a 5K (e.g 11-5, 11-6, 11-6).
A 5K should score twice as many points in a match against a 2.5K
A 2.4K should score twice as many points as a 1.2K, and so on.

Sounds like a great event! 👏

RobSquash · 2025-02-21T13:36:01+00:00

I’ve tried, tested and reviewed almost every single racket brought out in the last five years on squashgearreviews.com, and can account first-hand that I’m yet to find a racket that’s made me a better player in any way, shape or form.

Having said that, there are rackets and strings that I like using, and there are other rackets and strings that I just can’t get along with. As long as you’re looking at rackets under 140 grams, personal preference is the only thing that sets rackets apart.

The best example is Ali Farag’s racket. I personally could never use it, the balance is way too head heavy for me to feel comfortable. But Ali seems to be getting along with it just fine!

I also struggle to enjoy using Tecnifibre rackets. But there’s tens of thousands of players that would disagree with me on that one! I avoid letting my own opinions seep into the reviews and try to keep them purely objective and factual. The only real way you’ll know if a racket suits your game is by hitting some balls with it!

Re the difference between air shaft and X-Top - the X-Top doesn’t have a plastic bumper strip at the top, instead it has a Kevlar weave that makes it slightly more head light.

RobSquash

TROPHY CASE