by Ron Leon
Introduction:
Hi-Tec has been a major force in the sport of squash worldwide since the introduction of their legendary Super Squash shoe 35 years ago. Last year Hi-Tec made a huge impact with the introduction of their newest shoe technology, 4:SYS. In a short time the 4:SYS squash shoe has developed a reputation as the highest quality squash shoe ever made, and a significant number of male and female professional squash players wear the Hi-Tec 4:SYS shoe, even those who had not worn Hi-Tec shoes before. Hi-Tec is not well-known as a brand of squash racquets, for a very simple reason: there has never been a Hi-Tec squash racquet -- until now! The Hi-Tec Pro-Tec is the very first squash racquet to bear the Hi-Tec name and logo, and customers of squash-experts.com can be among the first to own and enjoy it. I've had the pleasure of playing with this racquet for dozens of matches and I'm very happy with it. Here's my report:
The Hi-Tec Pro-Tec is manufactured by the same company that makes Saxon squash racquets. It is identical to the Saxon Aerox 125 Fun racquet, which is my personal favourite in the entire Saxon range. During the period that squash-experts.com is introducing the Hi-Tec Pro-Tec to the USA, they are offering it at deeply discounted prices, making it much more affordable than comparable quality squash racquets offered by the better-known brands. I really enjoy this racquet and all the players who I have asked to try it also enjoy it. I'll bet you will too.
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General Impressions:
The Hi-Tec Pro-Tec racquet has a teardrop head shape, the top of the head is very round and the sides of the head extend almost straight to the point where they meet the shaft. It's a rather long head shape that is easy to maneuver and the sweet spot is long without being overly narrow. It feels very light in the hand and the balance is just slightly head-heavy. The most notable thing about the Pro-Tec racquet is the extremely fast speed of the stroke, which allows you to produce very powerful drives without sacrificing control.
I enjoy hitting powerful drives so my usual playing partners are accustomed to my fast stroke technique, but when I use my Hi-Tec Pro-Tec they are clearly surprised at the speed of the shots and they all ask to see what racquet I'm using to produce such powerful shots. The carbon fibre materials and oil moulding process that fills the voids in the carbon combine to create a soft, comfortable feel that compares very favourably to titanium racquets made by all the major brands.
The graphic design of the Hi-Tec Pro-Tec racquet is very distinctive: it has a black and yellow two-tone design and it's painted in such a way that it can appear to be either black with a yellow Hi-Tec logo or yellow with a black Hi-Tec logo, depending on which way you're holding it. If you wear the black and yellow Hi-Tec 4:YS shoe (which I do), this racquet is a perfect compliment and makes you seem like a savvy, fashion-conscious individual (which I'm not!). Regardless how well you play, it's always important to look good on the court, if you're wearing the shoes and carrying the Hi-Tec Pro-Tec racquet, your opponent will know you take your squash seriously before you hit the first ball.
General feel:
Generally speaking, the teardrop head shape is my favorite, and the Hi-Tec Pro-Tec provides all of the expected benefits of this head shape. The handle shape is a rounded oval and rather small, which makes it easier to customize the grip to individual taste than larger, more squarish handles such as I'm accustomed to finding on Head racquets and some others. The striking speed is really fast as I've explained above, and it has excellent power and response, and it's very easy to control. The Pro-Tec racquet doesn't utilize the space-age gel materials that are used to fill the voids between the graphite and carbon fibres such as many other manufacturers are offering, however the manufacturer utilizes a novel "oil-moulding" process that I understand is designed to perform a similar function of filling the voids between the graphite fibers. Overall this is a great all-around racquet suitable for all levels of players, including advanced and professional level squash players.
Speed-to-preparation:
The Hi-Tec Pro-Tec racquet has a very light and balanced feel and move very quickly from the middle "ready" position to the fully prepared backswing position on either side.
Maneuverability:
This is a very maneuverable racquet and it responds quickly to changes in swing direction and produces very solid shots with quick flicks of the wrist or forearm. Due to the unique head shape it's very easy to dig balls out of the back corners with the Pro-Tec and if you need to adjust quickly with a back-wall boast you'll find the Pro-Tec very accommodating due to its quick stroke characteristics.
Stroke momentum:
The Hi-Tec Pro-Tec racquet has a very slightly head-heavy feel and seems to provide nearly as much stroke momentum as a heavier racquet or open-throat racquet design. It produces very satisfactory strokes. It almost begs you to play fast hard shots from a wide variety of positions. Intermediate players with decent technique will not have any difficulty producing their full variety of strokes with the Pro-Tec.
Sweet spot:
The sweet spot of the Pro-Tec is long and narrow, which is generally consistent with the teardrop head shape. Striking the ball at the sides of the head (3:00 and 9:00) will result in some noticeable lateral rotation due to the straightness of the sides of the head, but striking balls which are very tight to the wall with the edge of the racquet (11:00 and 1:00) can be done very confidently, the same as with an open throat racquet with a rounder head shape.
Power:
The Pro-Tec racquet feels very powerful due to the fast stroke characteristic. The response when playing power drives and attacking shots is crisp and satisfying.
Driving to length:
I don't have any trouble finding my length with the Pro-Tec racquet, and the response at different levels of pace allows for nice variations in the speed and height of the drive while maintaining excellent length. When the opportunity arises to change direction and drive the ball cross court to a width, the Pro-Tec really shines. The speed of the stroke enables you to perform this skill with surprising power and control.
Retrieving tight shots:
The Pro-Tec racquet responds admirably during tight rallies along the wall, due to its teardrop head shape and the relatively small radius and shape of the beam surrounding the head. The response created by the materials allows you to lick the ball delicately even when it's glued to the wall and send it back just as tight to a good length, and when you have just a little more room to work with you can quickly add pace and keep the ball tight to pass your opponent and force them into the back corner.
Volleys to length:
If you're a player who has developed the skill to take the volley early and return the ball to a length, the Pro-Tec will not let you down. Hold your racquet up early and you can execute this skill with amazing speed. You'll be hunting for the volley with confidence and maintaining your position effectively by using your Pro-Tec to execute these shots.
Volley kills:
As above, if you possess the skill to execute the volley kill, the Pro-Tec is a suitable tool. If one of my students wanted to develop this skill I would not have any hesitation to help them with their technique using the Hi-Tec Pro-Tec.
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Volley drops:
The responsiveness of the Pro-Tec allows you to apply delicate touch for the volley drop and stop volley and maintain excellent control over the ball. This is a popular shot amongst professional players and I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to execute this skill when playing with my Pro-Tec.
Drops:
The stroke momentum and maneuverability of the Pro-Tec enables players to executes drops with either a full or a compact swing. If you're a player who is still developing this important skill, the Pro-Tec could be very helpful to you in establishing a strong foundation for this and other finesse shots.
Boasts:
Executing tight boasts that pull your opponent in different directions and open up the court for attacking opportunities requires confidence in your racquet and an instinctive feel to manage and control the various dimensions of the boast. Sometimes you want to strike the boast with a lot of power, and sometimes you want to strike it softly so it floats to its target destination or rolls across court away from your opponent. The Pro-Tec has the responsiveness and maneuverability to enable you to produce the maximum variety of effective boast shots, including back wall boasts and skid boasts high off the side wall.
Lobs:
The stroke speed and maneuverability of the Pro-Tec will enable players to lift the ball to a proper height and control the direction of their lob shot, even if they've had difficulty developing this skill using other racquets. The lob is an important shot to have in your repertoire, and if you aren't satisfied with the consistency of your lobs, try a Hi-Tec Pro-Tec squash racquet and I think you'll find it's easier than you thought.
Spins / Cuts:
The rough textured string that comes with the Pro-Tec enables you to apply maximum spin and cut to your shots, including power drives that seem to pull forcefully down to the floor in the front of the court after striking the front wall.
Conclusion:
If you play with Hi Tec squash shoes, especially the black and yellow 4-SYS model, consider the Hi-Tec Pro-Tec racquet, which is identical to the Saxon Aerox 125 (my personal favourite in the Saxon range) and has a colour scheme that matches those shoes perfectly. In addition to the distinctive two-tone graphics on this racquet, another nice design touch is the excellent quality textured multifilament strings which are colour co-ordinated to match the graphics. But looks aren't everything, the Hi-Tec Pro-Tec squash racquet is an excellent tool in the hands of almost any standard of squash player, and I'm very confident in recommending it to any squash player looking for something new. I am in the enviable position of having more than fifty top-quality racquets in my personal arsenal to choose from, including all the top models from all the top brands, and since I've received my Hi-Tec Pro-Tec I've found myself selecting it many times for tough matches. It's never let me down and the more I use it the more impressed I am. All in all, this is a great first racquet from Hi-Tec. It's worthy of bearing the name of one of the world's leading brands in squash.
