Varlion
Bourne Carbon Ti
A hybrid diamond-teardrop frame with a fiberglass face — built for players who want to attack but aren't ready for the punishment of a true power racket.
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Full spec breakdown
Listing checked at publish date
Highlights
What makes this racket stand out
Bourne shape splits the difference between diamond and teardrop — Varlion claims a 60/40 power-to-control ratio, which translates to a higher sweet spot than a teardrop without the unforgiving response of a pure diamond
Fiberglass face over an EVA Softcolor core: rare combination at this price, giving you the spring of fiberglass with a medium-firm contact rather than the soft, plush feel of beginner rackets
Light for a power shape at 345–360g — easier to swing through volleys and bandejas if you're physically smaller or recovering grip strength
The feel
How it's built to play, by shape, core and construction — rated low / mid / high rather than on a false 1–10 scale. Higher isn't always better; it depends on the game you want.
Balance — where the weight sits
Even
Handle / low
Head / high
The spec sheet
Weight
345–360g
Year
2025
Shape
Diamond
Level
Advanced
Style
Power
Balance
Medium
Core
EVA Softcolor
Face
Fiberglass
Thickness (mm)
38
Our verdict
What the shape, core and construction tell us about how this racket is built to play.
The short version
The Bourne Carbon Ti is the right pick for the intermediate left-side player who wants to start attacking but isn't ready for a stiff carbon diamond — the fiberglass face and lighter weight take the edge off the shape without making it feel like a control racket. The honest limit is the ceiling: advanced players will outgrow it within a season, and anyone playing pure right-side resets will find the higher sweet spot working against them. Buy it as a stepping stone, not a long-term weapon.
Strengths
Intermediate players moving up from a round or teardrop and curious about more power without committing to a full diamond
Left-side club players under 75kg who need head-weight feel from shape rather than from added grams
Keep in mind
Advanced left-side attackers who need the stiffness of carbon and a true high balance to finish points overhead
How it's built to play
The Bourne Carbon Ti 2025 is Varlion's attempt to give intermediate players a way into the power category without forcing them onto a strict diamond. The shape is Varlion's own Bourne profile — closer to diamond than teardrop, but with enough rounding to keep mishits from collapsing the whole shot. At 179€ retail it sits in the upper-mid tier, and the spec sheet (fiberglass face, soft-to-medium EVA Softcolor core, 345–360g) tells you exactly who it's aimed at: a player who likes the idea of attacking but doesn't have the technique or arm conditioning for a 375g carbon diamond.
The build is a bidirectional carbon tubular frame with a fiberglass face laminate, carbon reinforcement layers, and a 38mm EVA Softcolor core of medium hardness. Fiberglass over softer EVA is the control-oriented combination — ball dwells slightly longer on the face, spring effect helps on slow swings — and pairing that with the high-sweet-spot Bourne shape is the racket's defining choice. The Hexaforce bridge stiffens the throat to keep energy moving up into the hitting zone instead of dissipating sideways, and the Hexagon frame profile resists deformation around the edges, where cheaper builds at this weight tend to twist on off-centre hits. Ergoholes — the progressive perforation pattern, larger toward the frame — reduces drag during the swing and broadens the effective sweet spot, which matters here because the Bourne shape has a smaller usable face than a teardrop. The ErgoSlice rough texture adds grip on the ball for lifted shots and viboras. Handlesafety routes the cord through both walls of the handle rather than a single central hole, so the grip stays solid without wrist wrapping.
"Hexaforce bridge plus Hexagon frame profile: two separate torsion controls on a racket this light — that pairing is what keeps the Bourne shape honest on off-centre contact."
On court the Bourne Carbon Ti reads softer than its diamond-leaning shape suggests. The fiberglass face flexes enough at contact that bottom-of-court rallies feel manageable — you get a noticeable spring on flat drives — but the higher sweet spot still rewards you when you go up to smash or bandeja. The weight range of 345–360g keeps it fast through the air, so left-side players who struggle with a 375g diamond will find this much easier to position for an overhead.
"Ergoholes genuinely broadens the usable hit zone — on a Bourne shape where mishits are more costly than on a teardrop, that drilling decision is doing real work."
Where it runs out is at the very top of the game: against advanced opponents who hit deep and heavy, the fiberglass face doesn't transfer enough energy on its own, and you'll feel the racket asking you to swing harder rather than helping you. Spin generation through ErgoSlice is real but modest — enough for a lifted defensive lob, not enough to substitute for technique on a vibora.
FAQ
How does the Bourne Carbon Ti 2025 compare to a true diamond-shape racket?
The Bourne shape sits between diamond and teardrop — Varlion describes it as a 60% power / 40% control balance. A true diamond places the sweet spot higher and demands cleaner contact; the Bourne keeps a slightly wider hitting zone, which is more forgiving on the mishits intermediate players still make. If you're choosing between this and a pure diamond like a Vertex or LXT, the question is whether your overhead technique is consistent enough — if it isn't, the Bourne is the safer ramp-up.
Should I choose the Bourne Carbon Ti or a fiberglass teardrop at the same price?
A teardrop will be more forgiving on the bottom-of-court game and easier to play on both sides of the court. The Bourne Carbon Ti pushes you toward the left side and the overhead game — pick it if you're consciously specialising in attack. If you play both sides equally or do most of your scoring from baseline rallies, a teardrop is the better tool.
Is the Bourne Carbon Ti safe for players with elbow problems?
It's lower-risk than a typical diamond. The fiberglass face flexes more than carbon, the EVA Softcolor core absorbs vibration better than hard EVA, and the weight stays under 360g. That said, the diamond-leaning shape still concentrates impact higher in the head — if you have active lateral epicondylitis, a round fiberglass racket with low balance would be a safer choice. For players managing mild sensitivity, this is one of the more arm-friendly power shapes available.
Is the Bourne Carbon Ti suitable for beginners?
No. Varlion positions it as intermediate-to-advanced, and the shape is the reason — beginners need a round frame with a central sweet spot to develop consistent contact. Putting a new player on a diamond-teardrop hybrid sends mishits sideways and slows technical progress. Wait until you're hitting overheads cleanly and positioning on the left before reaching for this one.
What does the Bourne shape actually feel like compared to a teardrop?
The sweet spot sits higher on the face than on a teardrop — closer to where you contact the ball on an overhead — so smashes and bandejas come off more cleanly. The trade-off is that low forehands and defensive volleys, which land lower on the face, feel slightly less stable than they would on a teardrop. If most of your points end with you finishing at the net or from above, the Bourne shape pays off. If you spend more time defending, a teardrop will feel more natural.
Made for elbow-conscious players.
A hybrid diamond-teardrop frame with a fiberglass face — built for players who want to attack but aren't ready for the punishment of a true power racket.
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