adidas
Adipower CTRL 3.1
Shape
round
Weight
368g
Balance
head-light
Price
$350
Babolat Counter Viper
8.4 / 10
Based on 5 expert reviews Best for: An intermediate or advanced right side player seeking medium touch a large sweet spot
Shape: Round
Weight: 365g
Balance: Head Light
Where to Buy
Pros
- If you play a slow vibora, bandeja or volley, the ball comes out more quickly than I expected, but when played calmly, it works very well in the aerial game. My problem is when you want to do a fast vibora, you lose some control, the ball floats and bounces more than expected.
- Dry touch, medium-hard touch with a large sweet spot, so it gives you really good sensations, gives a lot of control, really nice lobs.
- Very manageable all round, despite its weight
Cons
- May not suit all play styles
Performance Scorecard
Overall Score Average of core attributes below
8.2
Contributing Scores
Power
8.0
Control
8.0
Sweet Spot
8.0
Maneuverability
7.6
Additional Metrics
Comfort
7.0
Spin
5.0
Specifications
- MSRP $320
- Weight 365g
- Shape Round
- Balance Head Light
- Surface 3K Carbon fiber
- Core Medium-Hard EVA
- Hardness Medium
About the Babolat Counter Viper
Counter Viper
2023’s Babolat Counter Viper is the French brand’s racket designed for advanced control and defense-oriented players. This year’s model is the same as last year’s with a few minor changes (the following 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 round-shaped racket with a hard touch and a medium-high balance, this racket is designed for advanced right-side players or players who win points with patience, intelligence, and counter-attacking.
Intermediate players seeking a racket to complement this style of play should consider the Counter Veron as well. This is still a quite technical racket, and this hardness will tire out arms that are not accustomed to playing with a hard-touch racket.
This is thanks to its hard touch from the 3K 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.
Babolat uses different types of carbon fiber on each of its models in the Viper line to achieve a similar “explosive power” sensation. Due to the wide shape of the Counter Viper’s racket face, 3K carbon, the hardest widely used in padel rackets, is taken because otherwise, the racket would become too soft. It is, nevertheless, still the softest, and as a result, most tolerant of the Viper line.
But it is not a power-oriented racket. Our reviewers struggled to knock it out X3 with this racket where it would have been otherwise easy.
The wide shape amplifies the size of the sweet spot, however, it comes with a cost: maneuverability. This racket can be slow and bulky.
Expert Reviews of babolat Counter Viper
Average score: 8.2 • Based on 5 expert reviews • Last updated: Feb 2023
8.4
Dani 13
Jan 22, 2022
"It is a very versatile racket that fires a lot at high and low speed. You need to be a little careful with the control, especially at the net. Recommended for intermediate, intermediate-advanced player who like a very dry touch. It is easy to use and offers a lot of control."
Power
8.0
Control
8.0
Sweet Spot
9.0
8.1
Fabio Ferro
Aug 30, 2022
"Undoubtedly, the easier (of the Babolat Viper line) racket to play with. A frankenstein racket in its shape, and with it’s large sweet spot, it gives a certain tranquility of play. But above all, with a rigid surface, which gives medium hardness, this racket allows a bit of everything. It is good for right side players perhaps, for more control, or the left side player who doesn’t want to rely totally on smashes, but also wants tolerance on volleys."
Weight: 376g Balance: 10cm
Power
9.0
Control
8.5
Sweet Spot
7.5
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