The Facts
What Happened
I have been a loyal Black Knight customer for over 15 years. The Black Knight Ion Storm was my racket of choice — I loved it. When the model was discontinued in the UK, I went to considerable lengths to import a batch of 12 brand-new Ion Storm rackets from an authorised Canadian retailer, at a cost of CAD $2,061.
Within weeks of use, the rackets began to break. Not in random places — every single racket cracked in the exact same location on the frame head. Four broke in the first month. Then six. Then seven. One racket lasted less than 15 minutes of play. Eventually, all 12 rackets broke in the same spot.
This is not wear and tear. This is not misuse. This is a clear, systematic manufacturing defect.
Every single racket broke in the exact same place on the frame. The consistency of the failure point across all 12 rackets leaves absolutely no doubt: this is a manufacturing defect, not user error. One racket broke within 15 minutes of play.
By The Numbers
The Damning Numbers
12
Brand new rackets purchased — every single one broke in the same location on the frame head
$2,061
Total cost of the purchase (CAD) — money spent on rackets that were unfit for purpose from the factory
45 days
Black Knight's warranty period — reduced from 6 months under previous ownership. Conveniently short.
£100+
Return shipping cost I was forced to pay out of my own pocket to send broken rackets back to Canada for "inspection"
Timeline
Eight Months of Being Given the Runaround
Early 2024
Purchased 12 Black Knight Ion Storm rackets from an authorised Canadian retailer for CAD $2,061.
October 2024
Within weeks of use, 4 rackets broke — all cracking in the same location on the frame head. Contacted both Black Knight directly and the retailer.
11 October 2024
Emailed Black Knight directly at [email protected] reporting the issue. Received no meaningful response.
20 October 2024
Sent a second email to Black Knight. Now 6 rackets broken. Still no adequate response from the manufacturer.
21 October 2024
Contacted the authorised Canadian retailer. They were responsive and began liaising with Black Knight on my behalf.
22 October 2024
6 broken rackets now confirmed. Sent photos and serial numbers of all broken rackets as requested.
24 October 2024
7 rackets now broken. One didn't even last a single match.
28 October 2024
Black Knight's official response via the retailer: warranty is 45 days, rackets are 7 months old, and they require physical inspection in Canada — at my expense. No apology. No acknowledgement of a defect.
March 2025
Contacted Billie Porter, Black Knight's E-Commerce Operations Manager, directly. Her response: contact the store you bought them from. Responsibility dodged once again.
29 April 2025
Shipped 10 broken rackets back to Canada via UPS at a personal cost of nearly £100. The remaining 2 broken rackets could not be sent as my teammate was overseas.
8 May 2025
Black Knight approved the warranty claim for 10 rackets — effectively admitting the defect. A credit note was issued through the retailer.
15 May 2025
After further negotiation, Black Knight approved credit for all 12 rackets — including the 2 they never even inspected. They clearly knew.
June 2025
Replacement rackets (Tecnifibre, not Black Knight — I will never use Black Knight again) finally received. Eight months after the first racket broke.
The Real Issue
Why This Matters to Every Squash Player
Black Knight approved the warranty claim for all 12 rackets — including 2 they never physically inspected. This tells you everything you need to know: they were already aware of this defect.
Despite this awareness, Black Knight has taken none of the steps a responsible manufacturer should take:
No product recall has been issued. If an entire batch of 12 rackets breaks in the same spot, how many other rackets from the same production run are out there? How many other customers have experienced this and simply accepted it because they only bought one or two rackets and assumed it was bad luck?
No public acknowledgement of the defect. Black Knight has made no statement, posted no advisory, and taken no visible action to alert customers.
No apology. At no point in this 8-month ordeal did anyone from Black Knight say sorry. Their E-Commerce Operations Manager's sole contribution was to pass the buck to the retailer.
A pathetically short 45-day warranty. Under previous ownership, Black Knight offered a 6-month warranty. The new owners, Canadawide Sports, slashed it to 45 days — barely enough time for rackets to reach an international customer, let alone be used. It's almost as if they know their products won't last.
Consider this: most squash players buy one or two rackets at a time. If a racket breaks after a few weeks, they might think it was an unlucky one-off. It took buying 12 for the pattern to become undeniable. How many other players have been affected without ever knowing it was a manufacturing defect?
The Bottom Line
Black Knight Owes Squash Players an Explanation
After 15 years of loyalty, I can no longer endorse or recommend Black Knight in any capacity. Their handling of this issue — from the dismissive initial response to the months of delay, the refusal to acknowledge the defect publicly, and the complete absence of a product recall — reveals a company that puts profit above the safety and trust of its customers.
If you own a Black Knight Ion Storm squash racket, particularly a more recent production batch, inspect your frame carefully. Look for hairline cracks around the head of the frame, especially near the top where the frame is under the most stress.
If your Black Knight racket has broken in a similar fashion, share your experience publicly — on forums, social media, or wherever squash players gather. The more people who speak up, the harder it becomes for Black Knight to sweep this under the carpet and continue selling defective equipment to unsuspecting players. Feel free to email me at bk.faults@gmail.com with details of your experience and I will potentially add your comments to this webpage.
This page exists because Black Knight will not issue a product recall. It exists because they have not publicly acknowledged this defect. And it exists because every squash player deserves to know the truth about the equipment they are buying.
