Roughness
| Category | racket attributes |
| Definition | 'Rugoso' in Spanish, roughness refers to the application of a rough surface on a padel racket's face in order to assist the player in generating spin on their shots. A few manufacturers began experimenting with various techniques of roughness a few years ago, and now essentially every brand offers some form of roughness on a portion of their premium rackets.Varlion's SLICE system is an example of a mold roughnessForms of roughnessThere are two main forms of roughness: the sandblasted form, which is strong in the beginning, but wears away somewhat quickly3D roughness, which is more expensive, but increasingly adopted by padel racket brands because it is long-lastingA few well-received offerings for roughness technology are Starvie's Full Plane Effect System, Varlion's SLICE system (on for example the Bourne Summum Prisma Airflow), and the Adidas Adipower line's Spin Blade system. |
Key Takeaways
Two types of rough surfaces on padel rackets: sandblasted and 3D (molded)Sandblasted surfaces are very grippy, but wear away quickly3D surfaces last longer and are more expensive to produce
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 3D roughness better than sandblasted roughness?
3D roughness lasts longer than sandblasted roughness.
Why is 3D roughness more expensive?
3D roughness is printed onto the racket by the mold. So each mold needs to be designed with the roughness design. Then the racket materials needs to be set perfectly so the roughness is imprinted on the carbon fiber. This process has requires more time and specialization than the spraying of sandblasted roughness, so it is more expensive.