babolat
Counter Viper
Shape
round
Weight
365g
Balance
medium
Price
$320
Babolat Air Viper
8.0 / 10
Community rating
Best for: Best for Advanced players seeking power, agility and strength in their aerial game
Shape: Hybrid
Weight: 355g
Balance: Even
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Great balance of power and control
- Comfortable feel on impact
- Good value for money
Cons
- May require adjustment period
- Limited availability in some regions
Performance Scorecard
Overall
(summary of attributes below)
8.0
Power
8.2
Control
7.0
Sweet Spot
7.0
Maneuverability
9.1
Comfort
7.0
Spin
5.0
Specifications
- MSRP $320
- Weight 355g
- Shape Hybrid
- Balance Even
- Surface 12K Carbon fiber
- Core Medium-Hard EVA
- Hardness Medium
Air Viper
2023’s Babolat Air Viper is the French brand’s racket designed for advanced overhead game players.
This year’s model is the same as last year’s with a few minor changes (applies to the entire Viper line):
-
The paint job
-
The handle’s bulge is slightly higher
-
The racket now has a strap interchange system
-
The vibration reduction system is a tiny bit more effective
A hybrid diamond-shaped racket with a hard touch and a medium balance, this racket is fast and technical.
Intermediate players seeking this fast transition game play style should consider the Air Veron instead.
Babolat describes its Viper line as designed for “explosive power”.
At the front of the court, this racket is fast and powerful. This is thanks to its hard touch from the 16K carbon fiber combined with the Multi-EVA core, AKA, X-EVA, which is a sandwich of layers of hard foam around a layer of soft foam, which barely absorbs the ball at all upon impact.
This hardness will tire out arms who are not accustomed to playing with a hard touch racket.
When you move to the back of the court, you will notice its small sweet spot. However, its low weight helps you reach the ball earlier than with rackets that weigh the “normal” 365 grams - the Air Viper is designed to weigh 355 grams. In comparison with its brother, the Technical Viper, the Air Viper’s low weight requires the player to apply the force onto the ball with their own arm - the racket’s weight will not help you as much.
Its roughness is stronger than the Technical Viper’s, and its low weight makes flicking your wrist easy to control, so you will have no issues making the ball climb up the back wall and out X3.
A curious result of the combination of its shape and weight is the “pole effect”, wherein the racket tends to rotate on its central axis upon contact outside of this central zone.
For this reason, blocks can be uncomfortable with this racket due to the instability resulting from its low weight.
Its weight, hardness, and balance make it slightly less maneuverable than the Air Viper when digging out slow balls at the back of the court.
The low weight also mean that vibrations with this racket are higher than they are with the Technical Viper and the Counter Viper.
Notably, due to its low weight, the Air Viper is more customizable than the other rackets of the Viper line.
The addition of a protector or metal tape could adjust the weight and balance of this racket if more stability is desired.
Expert Reviews of babolat Air Viper
Average score: 8.0 • Based on 5 expert reviews • Last updated: Mar 2023
7.3
Fabio Ferro
Sep 4, 2022
"If the viper category of boxers that knock you out, this one would be a middle weight that exhausts you with a thousand little punches. Suits a high intermediate aggressive player who wants something manageable and very fast in the volleys and air game, someone who plays a bit "tennis" padel."
Power
7.0
Control
7.5
Sweet Spot
6.5
8.1
Fabio Ferro
Feb 8, 2023
"Best for aggressive intermediate or advanced players with a fast arm. I like the Air Viper the most of the Vipers - the most versatile of the three. Not much has changed from last year’s version, but Babolat has created some small improvements that I appreciate."
Power
9.0
Control
7.0
Sweet Spot
7.0
8.1
Hugo Cases
Feb 22, 2022
"The lightest racket of the Viper line, it has the same rubber as the other vipers but a different shape and surface. Good for beginners, intermediate players. It is super manageable, but what is related is the manageability, the thing that i miss the most is when the ball comes very slowly the ball doesn’t help you very much, it doesn’t come out very much"
Power
8.0
Control
7.5
Sweet Spot
7.0
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