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The best padel rackets according to 500 reviews
Our philosophy
As Momo Gonzales once said, the right padel racket best accentuates your strengths. In order to choose the right racket, first, determine what type of padel player you are. Note that each benefit of a racket comes with an equal drawback. To best help you make your decision, we have compiled our favorite rackets for each category of padel player based on the racket attributes we consider most important for that player profile.
We also want to remind you that a racket only meets the level of the player. Arguably, the most valuable contribution a racket makes to our game is the placebo effect. “I have a racket that I feel comfortable with, therefore, I feel confident.” While I wish I could drop 400 euros and play like Lebron, so far that hasn’t worked for me. We’ll probably make less money by saying this, but we are here to share our love for padel with the world, not to bleed you of your pesetas.
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With decades of experience making carbon fiber floor ball sticks, Oxdog has successfully transferred this knowledge to padel rackets, creating some of the finest rackets we’ve touched seen. Like a Maserati from the first touch, one of our reviewers remarked, “Initially I thought something was wrong with it because it was so quiet,” regarding the Silent Speed technology, which efficiently transfers energy to the ball - instead of losing it to audible vibrations. Oxdog’s Ultimate Tour is easy to use and offers a punch on volleys
Why this is our pick
The Ultimate Tour is a comfortable, agile, diamond-shaped racket with a medium touch.Despite being a diamond, it is easy to maneuver and has a medium balance of 26 centimeters.Our reviewers found that it provided a versatile balance between control, power, and maneuverability.An alternative worth considering is the Starvie Astrum, which has a nice sweet spot, despite being relatively hard, and slightly less weight in the head due to its round shape.
Best intermediate power racket
adidas
Metalbone 3.3
Intermediate and up power players
What to look for
- Power: Great- Control: Satisfactory- Sweet spot: Satisfactory (high and medium-sized)- Maneuverability: Satisfactory- Touch: Medium- Balance: Medium-high
Why this is our pick
The Adidas Metalbone is one of the most popular rackets on the market. And for good reason.It has a high balance, a hard surface, and a low-density foam core - Adidas’s EVA Soft Energy. The combination of the soft core and the hard surface give it a medium hardness.Its medium hardness makes it significantly more playable than its harder sibling, the Metalbone HRD+, which we do not recommend for intermediate players. The only change is that the hard version has Adidas’s EVA High Memory.
This version, the standard Metalbone, delivers essentially the same performance as the 2023 version.Ale Galan plays with either the Metalbone 3.3 or the Metalbone HRD+ depending on court conditions. Like many players, he often switches to a harder core to counteract the softening of the core resulting from high temperatures.An alternative worth considering is the Bullpadel Vertex.
Best advanced control racket
starvie
Kenta Pro
Advanced control players seeking a round shape
What to look for
- Power: Satisfactory- Control: Amazing- Sweet spot: Medium-high sweet spot- Maneuverability: Satisfactory- Touch: Medium-hard- Balance: Medium
Why this is our pick
Hard, fast, precise.If that’s what you’re looking for in your padel racket, Starvie’s newest addition to their lineup, the Kenta line, will surely win you over. Note that we’ve selected the Pro variation for advanced control players due to the precision attained from the hard EVA, but we only recommend this racket for advanced players who like a firm touch - this racket is, as dura, dura.
The Kenta is the replacement of the Raptor Evo that used to be one of the most popular rackets, but faced a decline in recent years. The Kenta has, however, blown away reviewers this year. Like most of its models, Starvie offers this racket in three versions, which correspond to the different hardnesses, or densities of the foam cores:
- Kenta Pro: the hardest with the Pro 50 EVA core (this model)
- Kenta: the intermediate model with the Soft 30 EVA core
- Kenta Speed: the softest model with the Ultra Speed Soft EVA core
Best advanced versatile racket
wilson
Bela Pro V2.5
What to look for
- Power: Great- Control: Great- Sweet spot: Medium-high sweet spot- Maneuverability: Satisfactory- Touch: Medium-hard- Balance: Medium
Why this is our pick
I read so many negative reviews of the Bela Pro prior to using it I was expecting an uncomfortable brick with a miniscule sweet spot, however, I found myself loving the combination of power and versatility that it delivered. It definitely leans heavier toward power than control with its weight and balance, but I didn’t find it as difficult to use as expected, and I loved the weight I was able to easily deliver with volleys and top spin smashes.
If this sounds too intimidating…
Consider the easier to use Adipower CTRL 3.3, which is largely unchanged from its make up last year, which was one my top 3 rackets of 2023. It has a larger sweet spot and lower balance with a similar emphasis on spin and comfort.
Best advanced power racket
starvie
Tritón Pro 2025
Physically strong advanced power players seeking a hard touch
What to look for
- Power: Amazing- Control: Good- Sweet spot: High sweet spot- Maneuverability: Below average- Touch: Medium-hard- Balance: High
Why this is our pick
The Starvie Triton Pro is basically the most powerful racket in the game and has blown reviewers away once more for its incredible sensation of the ball and awesome power. Like most Starvies, it has an amazing roughness for spin. Its double layer of carbon fiber combined with its hard EVA mean that you have a ton of power and control at the sacrifice of a small sweet spot. Take note of selecting a model with a desired weight as a 380g 28cm model.
Please only consider this racket if you are extremely strong and have great technique - otherwise, you’ll probably hurt yourself and want to return it.
Noteworthy alternative
Slightly easier to use, the Volt 1000 is the Portuguese brand’s top of the line power racket. It is a black, diamond-shaped high balance power monster. I really enjoyed it in the aerial game. I recommend it to those who are looking for something slightly more reactive and aggressive than the Head Extreme Pro. It was not as hard as I expected. With a high sweet spot and a long handle, I achieved amazing leverage in my overhead game.
People also ask
Best Racket for Players with Tennis Elbow
wilson
Bela LT V2.5
Intermediate players seeking versatility
I found the lightweight soft version of this year’s Bela a wonderful combination of maneuverable, and comfortable without being too light and hollow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best padel racket?
For beginners we recommend the ML10 due to its ease of use, comfort, and wide sweet spot. For versatile intermediate players, our reviewers recommend the Oxdog Ultimate Tour due to its access to power, control, and agility with its medium touch. For advanced players, we select the Starvie Kenta Pro for control players and the Starvie Triton Profor power players.
Are Kuikma rackets worth it?
Decathlon amazed the padel community with the price-quality ration of its Kuikma PR990 line of rackets in 2017. These are high-quality rackets for a great price around €100.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best padel racket?
For beginners we recommend the ML10 due to its ease of use, comfort, and wide sweet spot. For versatile intermediate players, our reviewers recommend the Oxdog Ultimate Tour due to its access to power, control, and agility with its medium touch. For advanced players, we select the Starvie Kenta Pro for control players and the Starvie Triton Profor power players.
Are Kuikma rackets worth it?
Decathlon amazed the padel community with the price-quality ration of its Kuikma PR990 line of rackets in 2017. These are high-quality rackets for a great price around €100.