Bourne Summum Prisma Airflow

Varlion is a Spanish-based padel racket company known for producing hand-crafted, premium rackets, constantly advancing padel racket technology, and very high racket prices.

Mike Yanguas has his custom version of the Bourne Summum Prisma Airflow, which is the same in all aspects aside from the coloring and a slightly higher price.

Varlion has 5 racket shapes, three of which are variations on a teardrop. From closest to diamond to closest to round, these are Avant, Bourne, and Maxima, respectively. Other brands would probably refer to these shapes as diamonds.

Varlion padel racket shapes

The premium rackets with “Summum” in the name have the longest handles in the market at around 14.5 centimeters, which most of our reviewers looked favorably upon, for its addition to the leverage effect and comfort in two-handed backhands. Though it should be said, there is some controversy about the total length of these rackets being longer than is technically allowed according to FIP regulations.

There are two notable changes in construction of this racket this year. First, the SLICE system is marketed as 30% greater. Our reviewers confirmed that it was noticeably stronger at generating spin than last year’s.

Secondly, this year’s hole drilling includes the Airflow system, which includes large elongated hexagonal-shaped holes along the bottom edges of the racket face. This is marketed to improve maneuverability.

Our reviewers reported that the Airflow holes made a noticeable change on the size and location of the sweet spot, making it slightly larger and lower, thus slightly easier to play with. Additionally, it may have also slightly softened the racket face from last year’s version.

That being said it is still one of the hardest rackets available with a very small sweet spot.

Pay attention to the weight when purchasing a Varlion. Normally players choose 10 gram lighter Varlions than they do with other brands’ rackets because they have higher balances.

Summer versions have denser cores than the Winter versions, and they are recommended for playing in temperatures above 25°C (77°F). This counteracts the softening effect the heat has on the core. All the other aspects of the racket remain the same.

Summer versions are often marked with an “S” and winter versions with a “W”. Many retailers mistakenly (🤦🏻♂) think that the W stands for Womens’ instead of Winter and market them incorrectly as womens’ rackets.

Advanced players with an aggressive aerial game who can manage this racket’s technicality will greatly benefit from the power and sensibility that it brings.