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Xamsa FBO 110 (former VBO 135) Squash Racquet - Special order

8 reviews Write a review
Xamsa FBO 110 (former VBO 135) Squash Racquet
 
C$110.00
706090797522
In stock
 
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Some players prefer bridged rackets while others rather a teardrop shape. It's a matter of personal preference. There are many arguments defending both types of rackets.

Typically though, lightweight teardrop rackets are considered best suited for an attacking style of play while bridged rackets are more popular among players seeking increased control or finesse.

Since there are many ways to measure the weight of a squash racket, we have specified the most commonly used standards.

  • Weight: 110 grams (frame only), 135 grams (frame and grommets), 155 grams (frame, grommets, strings and grip)

  • Balance: Neutral

  • Strings: Xamsa PM18, 18 gauge. Xamsa PM18 is constructed using a thousand microfilaments as a center core then wrapped in braided fibers. The rough surface and resistance gives good control of the ball, and the elastic coating provides extra power.

  • Tension: 26-27lb

Because of our tendency towards lightweight rackets, we made the frames quite stiff using first grade carbon fibre for added durability. We tried to achieve a perfect blend of power and agility with no traces of vibration. With a net frame weight of only 110 grams, the power and control will surprise most players. Give it a try with no risk involved as we have an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee on Xamsa rackets.

Check out the video review made by Pierre from Squash Source

Here is some videos of Xamsa FBO 110 in action:

Pranav Sharma (playing with FBO 110) vs Bern Ard (playing with PXT 110) (3:0),

Club Atwater Championships 2017, Men's A finals

Check out Xamsa Racquet Comparisons review by Tim (co-founder of Xamsa Squash)

Brand:
Xamsa
Frame Weight:
155 grams
Balance:
365mm
Power:
90%
Control:
80%
Typical Playing Level:
  • Intermediate
Recommended For:
  • All-round players
  • Singles players
  • Players seeking more CONTROL
  • Players seeking more POWER
  • Players on a BUDGET
Materials/Technology:
  • Graphite
Pranav Sharma, Club Atwater, Montreal, Quebec 08/19/2016, 06:43 PM
I really enjoy playing with the Xamsa 135 gm teardrop. The weight and the balance I feel best fits my game. With a light head I feel I get more snap on the ball and this really helps with my attacking game and my front court game. Since the weight is really balanced, I feel more comfortable while executing volleys even while I am trying to volley from a defensive position. From back off the court, I can easily push the ball up and this helps me to get out of stress positions. Overall, I enjoy the touch that the racquet gives as well. I would continue to play with the model that I currently play with.
John Mosher, Physical Park Club, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec 04/04/2016, 11:21 AM
I went into Tim's new store looking for a decent well priced racket for my kid. He suggested the VBO 135 and I purchased it. I have been playing with a BK Quicksilver for many years and broke my last one and only had the VBO 135 in my bag. The first thing I noticed, that with the same effort I got significantly more power. Also the racket felt very similar to my previous racket so the switch over was very easy. This is an amazing racket at any price, and a great buy for $100.
Daniel Anisfeld, Club: University of Toronto Athletic Centre 12/09/2015, 10:41 AM
I bought the VBO 135. It's a fantastic racquet, the best I've ever used. I'd been playing with a Technifibre Carboflex 125, and this racquet is superior in every way (and at about 60% of the price). Amazing control and huge sweet spot. Looks great too.

I broke my racquet and Tim was extremely fair in providing warranty coverage. It made me doubly happy that I ordered this racquet.

You can't go wrong with this racquet.
Perry Gill, Harbor Square club, Edmonds, WA 02/05/2015, 02:19 PM
Here is my attempt at giving back to the community: a review of the Technifibre Carboflex 125, Xamsa VBO135, and Dunlop Revelation 135. I’ve purchased all three rackets and have hit with them solo as well as playing in a matches with them. If you don't want to read, here is a chart:
http://i.imgur.com/QxbjysY.png

Here is a picture of all three rackets (Carboflex, VBO, and Revelation). While all tear drops, they have different head shapes and string patterns. The Carboflex is the most traditional with its string pattern and the Revelation has the longest average main string length with VBO somewhere in between. This plays a lot into the rackets’ consistency and feel. From a looks standpoint it’s to each his own… Although the Carboflex to me seems the best… The design elements that stand out on the Carboflex is the use of clear coat that lets carbon show through and the really nice shaft. The one thing that’s annoying is that the Carboflex has “305+: designed and manufactured in france”. I’m assuming this is for the string only because the racket has “Made in China” on the handle.
One last note: the Carboflex has the stock 305+ while the Revelation and VBO were restrung with 305. So let’s get stuck in:

Balance/Feel/Maneuverability
With stock strings the Revelation is sort of head heavy. After being restrung with 305 the swing weight came down a bit and the overall feel is better. The Carboflex is very lightweight and very head light. The VBO is right in between. To me the balance of the VBO is perfect. It feels great hitting the ball past your opponent or taking volleys. The Carboflex is SO maneuverable it allowed me to make shots while recovering more than I could with the other rackets. The other cool thing about the Carboflex is that I had to shorten up my swing which really helped with over swinging and getting back to the tee a bit quicker. The added head weight of the Revelation makes it a major bruiser. Unfortunately it made me a bit “stabby” on my volleys. Again, the VBO was right in-between and really felt like Goldilocks for me in this department.
The Revalation was the only racket with a proper grip length in my opinion. I have medium sized hands and the grips on the Carboflex and VBO were too short. This is a petty problem and easily fixable. As far as the actual shape of the handle goes, the VBO was the hands down winner. It had a nice racket feel (sort of octagonal). The Revelation was a little round for me, and the Carboflex was even rounder and even fatter. The fat round grip of the Carboflex just never felt quite right for me.
The other cool thing about the VBO is that the handle has built in vibration reduction. Without the dampener, the VBO feels awesome, the Revelation is a bit pingy (much less so with 305 strings) and the Carboflex is really pingy (not Head pingy, but still pretty annoying)

Power
I think my single most powerful shots came from the Carboflex, but the Revelation was far more consistently powerful. The longer main strings as well as the wider head makes the sweet spot on Revelation feel huge in comparison. It begs you to hit the ball past your opponent. Here the weight of the Carboflex is a double edged sword. Its light weight lets you really generate some head speed. The flip side of the weight is that itreally twists in your hands on off center hits. I feel like it may be magnified by the big round grip. Again, the VBO isn’t the most powerful nor does it have the biggest sweet spot, but it just seems to do things well across the board. At no time did it feel like a disadvantage in the power department. It just plain does everything you ask of it as well as give you a bit of forgiveness to boot.

Court Control
This is where the Revelation feels a bit too powerful. VBO and Carboflex with their balance and string pattern seem to do a bit better. I could really hold the head light rackets off for a bit more deception and put the ball where I wanted it. As long as I found center face, the Carboflex had amazing touch. My best drops were with the Carboflex, but if I missed, they were dead. Again the VBO was Goldilocks with a bit of forgiveness and still enough control to take what you need to off the ball.

Volleying/Taking the Ball Early
I felt like I had to swing the Revelation a lot more. The weight and balance of the VBO and Carboflex seemed to be less reliant on timing and let me wait in the ball a bit more. For me the Carboflex didn’t have quite enough mass to be great at volleying. The VBO with a little more sweet spot and weight seemed to be perfect here.

Who is the Winner? I think it depends. If you like smashing the ball, it’s hands down the Revelation. If you have the timing and find the center of the racket often, maybe it’s the Carboflex. For me, the VBO had the balance, power, and feel to make it my winner. All that together added with the best customer service I’ve seen, I’m going to be buying my second Xamsa. Let me know if anyone has any questions.
Again, here is a chart to help visualize the review.
http://i.imgur.com/QxbjysY.png

You can also see this review and the comments on:
http://www.reddit.com/r/squash/comments/2u93he/my_review_of_technifibre_carboflex_125_xamsa/
Steve Bordeleau, Concourse Athletic Club, Atlanta, Georgia 02/05/2015, 01:34 PM
For the last several months, I've been playing squash with the Xamsa VBO and CNT 140 racquets exclusively. I initially found out about Xamsa from the squash subreddit (http://www.reddit.com/r/squash) and given the price point, I figured these racquets would be well worth trying out. For me, I'm a casual club player, making it to the courts about 3 days a week or so and have been experimenting with a number of bats for the last couple years.

The VBO is a neutral balanced 135 gram (frame and grommet weight, 155 grams with strings and grip) teardrop shaped racquet made of carbon fiber. With a price point of just CDN$100, it's a bargain in comparison to others in its class. For me, this racquet offers excellent power, and the balance is phenomenal, which certainly aids in better ball control than some others I've played with (feels quite a bit lighter than it is as well). I've noticed that typically with teardrop shape racquets, you often times trade power for control, but I feel the VBO does a great job delivering both.

The CNT 140 is a neutral balanced bridged racquet; this one weighing in at 140 grams with the frame and grommets (160 grams with strings and grip) and is my favorite between the two. The CNT 140 is noticeably heavier than the VBO, but for me, I find I get significantly more control over the ball while only giving up a small amount of power.

Both racquets by default come pre-strung with Xamsa branded strings and their own grips, both of which work decently, but I'm not particularly fond of either. Then again, at this price point, you're not going to go wrong with them. All of the Xamsa racquets also come with a vibration dampening system, and I've noticed very little (if any) vibration on my shots. Typically I chalk these sorts of dampening systems as being a bit of a gimmick, but I can't help but believe they work in this case.

One service I'm a huge fan of (and one I've used on my most recent CNT-140 purchase) is the ability to have the racquet restrung in your choice of brand and gauge of string. For me, having the CNT-140 shipped to my door for CAD$125 with 17 gauge Technifibre 305 strings was an absolute bargain. They also allow you to customize your grip options as well for another small up-charge (I personally use Karakal PU Supergrips on all of mine, which is an available choice).

Another thing about Xamsa as a company is they spend part of the profits to help promote squash across Canada which I think is fantastic. It'd be great to see this become a catalyst for improving awareness of the sport across North America.

Pros:

* Cost - You're simply not going to find a better racquet for the price point anywhere in North America

* Excellent Control

* Excellent Power

* Very little (if any) vibration

* Portions of the profits go to promote squash in Canada

* Excellent customer service

Cons:

* Strings are just "ok" and while they do the job fine, I prefer Technifibre 305 strings

* Grips offer very little padding and they are a bit thinner and slightly less grippy than some others on the market

* Xamsa being a relatively new company has limited distribution, and as such, shipping times to the US are a bit longer than buying domestically (which you'd expect).


As I mentioned above, you're simply not going to find a better racquet anywhere for the money. Period. In fact, I prefer my Xamsa racquets to others costing nearly twice as much, and they've become my go-to brand. I'd expect nothing less than them getting even better as the company grows.

You can also see this review and the comments on:
http://www.reddit.com/r/squash/comments/2uj2ok/my_xamsa_reviews/
Rohit Dureja, GoodLife London 01/29/2015, 03:06 PM
I love this racket. I've been using it for a few months now and right from the start I noticed a difference in my game. The racket is much lighter than my previous Dunlop racket and I get a lot more power with it without sacrificing control.
Thomas Zablocki, GoodLife London 01/27/2015, 04:46 PM
I absolutely love my Xamsa VBO racket. Super lite and 40% cheaper than my previous Black Knight rackets. I tend to hit the wall a lot and the racket is holding up quite nicely. Been using it close to year now.

Will buy Xamsa again.
Philippe Roy, Club CDL, Montreal 01/08/2015, 03:36 PM
After trying a demo a few times, I chose to play with Xamsa VBO 135 because I like the balance of the racket. All my life I’ve been playing with a very light racket.
Even though the racket is 135 grams, it feels much lighter than that. I feel the weight is toward the shaft instead of the head of the racket and that makes the shots more accurate.
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