The Harrow Vibe 115 is the racket of choice, and the custom racket of, World Champion and one of the smoothest players on the PSA Squash Tour - Karim Abdel Gawad.
It is a lightweight, even-balanced frame that Harrow advertise as having “the perfect flexibility to increase your shot making and power” and “incredible manoeuvrability which makes this the racket of choice for players with deft touch and pinpoint control.”
This custom version of the Vibe sports Gawad's signature and logo with its own unique frame cosmetic, and, it comes in a smart yet cool black and silver colour scheme. The Vibe is known to be one of Harrow’s more flexible frames, and with the lightweight, it is generally aimed at players who like to use short swings, who like to hold the ball and who like to play an attacking game - a game perfectly demonstrated by Gawad.
“I’ve used the Vibe since I started playing with Harrow back in 2012,” said Gawad.
“I just love everything about it – the balance, the flexibility, the weight and the grip, I feel it’s perfectly matched with my game, so I really recommend anyone who likes the short game to play with this racket."
Gawad in action at the Grasshopper Cup
Stat Sheet:
- Advertised Balance - Even (370mm balance point)
- Composition - Carbon / Graphite
- Factory String Tension - 28lbs
- Head Shape - Traditional
- Advertised Frame Weight - 115g
- Advertised Finished Weight - 140g
- Our finished weight: 143g
Here’s what our panel of players had to say after getting their hands on the racket for some on court testing time:
Player: Nathan (Editor)
Squash Levels: 2,400
Play Style: Why defend when you can attack
Favourite Racket: Eye Rackets X-Lite 110
Notes: I have limited wrist mobility on my racket hand, therefore I favour head-light rackets for greater manoeuvrability in the shot.
There’s something about this racket the minute you have it in your hand. The weight, for me, just feels perfect and you almost forget you’re holding it. It’s got that slightly oversized head, which really gives you confidence when you look down at it, and knowing that you’ve got a lot of string to play with was a bonus for me in terms of adding confidence when taking the ball in short.
With the light weight, it’s no wonder that Gawad can hold the ball for as long as he does. The snap that you can create is emphatic - for a player above my level, I can see that being a huge attraction.
When you strike the ball out of the middle, the feeling is just exceptional. It’s like striping a diver down the middle of the fairway on a golf course. But, unlike golf, even when you hit this off centre, or towards the very edge, you don’t get punished with a poor shot - which again just adds to that feeling of confidence on court.
It gave me shades of the old Eye Rackets Shabana 120, which was their flagship model a decade ago and a racket that I felt natural with, but this Vibe 115 is another level up from that in playability. Plus it looks superb.
Transitioning to this racket from a heavier racket means that you need to put slightly more weight through the ball when hitting drives but once you get used to that, you can enter full Assassin mode.
Player: Rob
Squash Levels: 3,700
Play Style: Why attack when you can defend
Favourite Racket: Dunlop Sonic Core Revelation 135
Notes: What is a drop shot?
This thing is super forgiving and very light weight. Was great for playing an attacking game, taking the ball early on the volley and the large racket face ensured that any off centre shots weren’t particularly punished, so I was able to keep up that sort of attacking style. Playing with it I felt like I wanted to take the ball onto the front as often as possible, which isn’t my normal game, so it definitely inspired some confidence. One of the best traditional head frame rackets I’ve used.
Player: James
Squash Levels: 10,000
Play Style: Varies between a grinder with no fitness and shot maker with no shots
Favourite Racket: 305 Procell XR120
Notes: Generally prefer an even balance racket
It's very light but, unlike the Harrow Vapours, the Vibe has a more even or slightly head-light balance. This makes a big difference and it feels noticeably more manoeuvrable through all parts of the swing. The combination of low weight and a head-light balance completely removes the jabby, flicky feeling the Harrow Vapours had. I could swing smoothly and continuously rather than feeling forced into short, reactive shots.
If I'm splitting hairs, it might be a fraction too head-light (perhaps a couple of grams' worth) which left me with a slight vagueness in where the racket head was during the swing. Nothing major, and easily addressed with a small strip of lead tape.
Player: Tom
Squash Levels: 1,200
Play Style: If Forest Gump played squash
Favourite Racket: HEAD Graphene 360+ Speed 120
Notes: Makes full use of the racket (frames a lot)
This racket feels really light - almost like you’re not really holding anything at times.I felt comfortable going in short more than I usually would, and I think for someone like me who runs around a lot, having a light racket that has a large sweet spot just generally helps my game,. I felt like swinging with this was smoother and I was laughing when I first started hitting with it because it felt like I wasn’t doing anything but was getting loads of power off the racket as well. So yeh, love it.
Player: Ross
Squash Levels: 3,400
Play Style: To crosscourt nick, or not to crosscourt nick? Is that even a question?
Favourite Racket: Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 Airshaft
Notes: The lighter the racket, the better
The square grip size, narrow but large feeling head and very head light balance make for a confusing dynamic for me. The racket feels exceptional to hold, but when swinging through the ball, the shot direction felt more like a suggestion. For my taste, too much of the racket weight is in the handle. On the flip side, that head light balance allows for beautiful touch in the front court - so it really depends on what you like. Not for me.
