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Photo Credit to www.squashsite.co.uk
Prince, Ramy’s sponsor must be really happy with their decision to sign Ramy Ashour. Not only has he not lost a match since he switched back to them but he left court in the final game to get a new Prince Airstick 130 because the last one he grabbed after breaking a string did not have the logo stencilled on the strings! While not technically allowed in the rules of the game I am sure it was definitely appreciated by Prince!
Ramy Ashour - Photo credit to squashsite.co.uk
The main round of the 2013 Allam British Open Squash Championship is now under-way and Ramy Ashour is seeded to win. There certainly is some very stiff competition he will have to beat though to win this year’s British Open. Ramy has never won the British Open and if he does he will have gone a whole year without losing a match on the PSA tour. The last tournament he lost was the British Open last year when Nick Matthew beat him. Going a whole year without losing a match would be an incredible accomplishment especially considering how talented the current top 4 players are! Let’s take a look at Ramy’s career.
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| Picture courtesy of Worldsquash.org |
Since the start of the 2013 Tournament of Champions there has been a great deal of conversation about Ramy Ashour and the racquet he is playing with. We have definitely seen a spike in visits to our site about him and the racquet he is playing with. So what is he playing with? As the title of this post would indicate he is playing with his old favourite as pictured here, the Prince Airstick 130. The picture above is old but was a good shot of him with the Airstick 130. From what I have read he is no longer sponsored by Dunlop and is therefore free to play with what ever racquet he chooses. His old favourite the Prince Airstick 130 is what he has gone back to. It is a great racquet. We have a review of it here and we have it for sale here.
The first reference I found of Ramy switching back to the Prince Airstick 130 was from Twitter here.
Credit to Pierre Bastien over at squashsource.com for posting that Ramy seems to now beep playing the Dunlop Blackmax Titanium Squash Racquet. Photo credit to Squashsite.
This is an older racquet that is no longer for sale. Dunlop is doing a good job at least keeping him playing with their brand. Head did not seem to have the same success when he was still using a Prince Air Stick 130 while signed to be playing with Head.
Ramy definitely seems to be particular about the racquet he is playing with and does not just play with whatever a company sticks in his hand. The racquet he is marketed to be playing with by Dunlop, the Dunlop Biomimetic Max 2012 is a very nice racquet but it seems to not be the racquet Ramy currently is playing with.
We do carry the Dunlop Biomimetic Max 2012 at our online store and there is a review of it here.
As you can see from the image above this is the racquet that Dunlop has marketed Ramy Ashour as playing with for the upcoming season. The new PSA squash season starts up soon and I look forward to watching it on psasquashtv.com and one of the things I will be watching for is what racquet is Ramy Ashour using.
To purchase the Dunlop Biomimetic Max please click here.
Now on to the review of this racquet.
I have had a couple of chances now to get on court with the Dunlop Biomimetic Max 2012 and have compared it to the original Biomimetic Max as well as just coming up with an opinion of it unrelated to the original.
The specifications of the new Dunlop Biomimetic Max 2012 Squash Racquet are:
Frame Weight: 130g
Balance: Extra Head Light
Head Size: 500cm2
Stiffness: 80
String Pattern: 14×18 Powermax
String Tension: 20-30lbs
Construction: HM6 Carbon
String: Precision
There are 3 differences from the original Biomimetic Max – the Frame Weight, Balance, and Stiffness. The new racquet is 10 grams lighter, the balance more head light, and slightly stiffer than the original; all 3 were actually noticeable when alternating hitting between the 2 racquets. The 2012 edition definitely felt lighter in the hand and the balance was more towards the handle. When swinging it the balance was quite evident. You could really feel the racquet coming through quicker and what felt like the same swing between last year’s model left me ahead of the ball with the 2012 edition. That took some adjustment but once that was made you could really feel how quick the racquet is. The other difference this year as noted is the stiffness of it. The 2012 edition is enhanced this year with Anatomic Construction which is designed to provide better torsional control on off centre hits. The racquet did feel slightly stiffer than the original.
Overall the racquet has a lot of power due to its long main strings. It is extremely quick due to its extra head light balance and overall light weight. It is a fairly stiff racquet as well and does not flex much on normal hits or off centre hits. It is definitely a different feel than the more traditional feel of the Dunlop racquet that you would in the Pro GTX series which is quite soft. As it is very head light it does take some skill to not come through to the ball too quick. Once you have gotten past that though it is a great racquet. Its quickness makes it great for quick volleys at the ‘T’. Its power makes a good racquet for drives as well. Overall if you like a stiff racquet that is head light and have good technique this is a great racquet.
Here is the marketing information from Dunlop:
The updated Dunlop Biomimetic Max Squash Racquet is an ideal racquet for any advanced/intermediate player looking for pure power. The teardrop head shape provides long main strings for greater string deflection enhanced by Powermax string pattern. Control and pin point precision is improved with the inclusion of Anatomic Construction technology which increases torsional stability during off centre shots.
The racquet is constructed with graphite and features Dunlop’s Biomimetic technology. HM6 Carbon enhances the racquet feel, Aerogel technology reduces aerodynamic drag making the racquet faster through the air and the Gecko-Tac grip gives ultimate control in all conditions.
To purchase the Dunlop Biomimetic Max please click here.
We just received our new shipment of Biomimetic racquets from Dunlop and I was very excited to open it to see the new Dunlop Biomimetic Max 2012 Squash Racquet. It is a great looking racquet and I will be giving our demo a try in the next few days. For now here is a promotional picture from Dunlop and the specifications of it.
To purchase the Dunlop Biomimetic Max 2012 Squash racquet please click here
The marketing information from Dunlop definitely features Ramy Ashour with the Dunlop Biomimetic Max. Having watched him play at the Australian Open, and not British Grand Prix the racquet he looks to be using is the one that he was using last season, that is based off the paint and the discussion of the commentators. The frame design of the racquet he is using the the Biomimetic Max appears to be the same. The paint does not appear to be the same, it looks like the racquet he used last season. The commentary over the last few tournaments I have watched on PSASQUASHTV.com has been consistent stating that it is a very light racquet, around 110g. The Biomimetic Max is a 140g racquet. Based off of what I have seen and heard watching his matches the last few tournaments it looks to me that while the new Dunlop Biomimetic Max has the frame shape as the racquet it is not exactly the same.
So what is he using? Perhaps something custom from Dunlop. It definitely has the name Max on it but it still does not seem to be the actual Max that is available at retail.
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Ramy Ashour has been playing with a Dunlop racquet, but which one? When he was signed it was announced that he was playing with the Dunlop Aerogel 4D Max. The racquet that he is currently playing with currently seems to have the same head shape and paint job as the Max but the string pattern does not match.
I have a had a couple of posts on the topic in response to a review of the Dunlop Aerogel 4D Max that I wrote. Their posts got me looking further in to this and I have concluded they are correct. The racquet is not the Max, at least not in its currently available form.
There has been a great deal of interest in the Dunlop Aerogel 4D Max squash racket since Ramy Ashour started using it. Having the #1 player in the world using your racket certainly is great for Dunlop.
I have been trying it out for a few weeks now and have been really enjoying playing with it. The long mains give this racket lots of power. The frame weight of 137 grams is relatively light and as the racket is head light it is very maneuverable. It is terrific for volleying for this reason.
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