Saxon C-4 Squash Racquet Review
by Ron Leon
Introduction:
Saxon is a popular brand of squash equipment in Western Europe, and Squash Experts is proud to be the first to offer their fine products in the USA. The Saxon C-4 is the most popular model of Saxon squash racquets, and I feel privileged to have been the first American squash professional invited to evaluate them and now I'm reporting my findings to you.
Saxon manufactures their squash racquets using innovative techniques joined with well-established materials, resulting in squash racquets that feel and play as great as they look. Saxon squash racquets compare very favourably to racquets from the better known manufacturers, and in Europe they are sold at comparable prices to those brands. During the period that squash-experts.com is introducing them to the USA, they are offering Saxon squash racquets at deeply discounted prices, in most cases at least 20% lower in price than comparable quality squash racquets offered by the better-known brands. I recommend you try them and see for yourself why they're so popular among knowledgeable squash players in Europe.
General Impressions:
The Saxon C4 has a teardrop head shape and a tapered shaft. The bottom of the head is joined to the shaft with a flat gusset that minimizes tortional rotation and instability. The balance is even and it has a very interesting feel. When playing hard shots with a lot of power the racquet feels very stiff and powerful, but when you’re playing soft shots such as drops or lobs, it feels very responsive.
Saxon claims this is due to their materials and their manufacturing process. I'm always skeptical about the claims that racquet manufacturers make, but after spending a considerable amount of time playing with the Saxon C-4 and comparing it with other top quality racquets, I can honestly report that it is really unique and feels great and everyone else I know who’s tried it seems to agree. The design of the Saxon C4 is very clean and aesthetically pleasing, with the primary white base colour applied using a 2-step pearlescent paint process.
General feel:
Generally speaking the teardrop head shape is my favourite, and the Saxon C4 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 isn't as notably fast as it is with the Saxon Aerox range, but it has excellent power and response.
The Saxon racquets don’t utilize the space-age gel materials that are used to fill the voids in the graphite materials such as many other manufacturers are offering, however Saxon utilizes a novel "oil-moulding process" that I understand is designed to perform a similar function of filling the voids between the graphite fibers. The C4 also contains a proprietary form of carbon fiber which they call "brainwave", which is presumably responsible for the unusual response of the racquet depending on the speed of stroke and power on ball impact. Overall this is a great all-around racquet suitable for intermediate to advanced squash players.
Speed-to-preparation:
The Saxon C4 has a very light and balanced feel and moves very quickly from the middle “ready” position to the fully prepared backswing position on either side.
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Maneuverability:
This is a very maneuverable racquet and responds quickly to changes in swing direction and produces solid shots with quick flicks of the wrist or forearm. It’s very easy to dig balls out of the back corners with the C-4 and if you need to adjust quickly with a back-wall boast you'll find the C4 very accommodating.
Stroke momentum:
The C4 has a very light feel and doesn’t provide as much stroke momentum as a heavier racquet or open-throat racquet design. However, it does not seem to require any extra attentiveness to produce satisfactory strokes, such as you might expect with a super-light racquet or one with a very head-light balance. Intermediate players with decent technique will not have any difficulty producing their full variety of strokes with the C4.
Sweet spot:
The sweet spot of the C4 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, but striking balls which are very tight to the wall with the edge of the racquet (11:00 and 1:00) feels the same as with an open throat racquet with a rounder head shape.
Power:
The C4 is a very powerful racquet. 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 C4, 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 C4 performs brilliantly.
Retrieving tight shots:
The Saxon C4 is capable of responding 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. This is probably the area where I feel the Saxon C4 performs best.
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 C4 will not let you down. You'll hunt for the volley with confidence and maintain your position by using your C4 to execute these shots.
Volley kills:
If you're a player who has developed the skill to take the volley early and return the ball to a length, the C4 will not let you down. You’ll hunt for the volley with confidence and maintain your position by using your C4 to execute these shots.
Volley drops:
The responsiveness of the C4 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 Saxon C4.
Drops:
Due to the comparatively low stroke momentum, the C4 favours the player who executes drops with a full swing. If you’re a player who is still developing this important skill, the responsiveness of the C4 could be very helpful to you in refining your technique.
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 C4 has the responsiveness and feedback to enable you to produce the maximum variety of effective boast shots, including back wall boasts and skid boasts high off the side wall. If you love to boast, you’ll be boasting about the performance of your C4 in this vital skill set.
Lobs:
As with the volley drop, the C4 will favour the player who has already developed the ability to lift the ball to a proper height and control the direction of their lob shot. If you’re that player, you won’t have any problem executing lobs with the C4.
Spins / Cuts:
The rough textured string that comes with the C4 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:
American players will probably be unfamiliar with the Saxon C4, and although it has a similar model name and shape as a well-known racquet offered by Black Knight, the Saxon C4 is unique and well worth trying. In Western Europe, where many of the world’s top players live and train, Saxon racquets are very well respected and the C4 is by far the most popular model offered by Saxon. Although the Aerox range of racquets from Saxon is very impressive, I will not be surprised if American players embrace the Saxon C4 and confirm its reputation on this side of the pond. Only time will tell how others feel about it, but I am definitely looking forward to enjoying more time on the court with my Saxon C4.
