How to choose a padel racket, buying tips

We explain the keys to know how to choose the right padel racket in relation to its characteristics. It is the big question that every beginning padel player asks, what is my perfect padel racket?

It is the big question that every amateur player asks: what is my ideal racket? How do I know which padel racket I have to choose? We give you the keys to choose the right padel rackets in relation to their characteristics .

We hope that with these simple guidelines and knowing the level of play you have, you will be able to choose your advanced padel racket .

How to choose the perfect padel racket

The first thing of all before buying any padel racket is to be clear about our level of padel . If we have just started playing padel tennis, we can buy a power racket to be the coolest on the court, but it is very likely that it will not be the ideal racket for us, since it will be uncontrollable.

Knowing what level of play we are at is easier, but how to know our style of play? To do this, we must have some experience on the track.

  • Are we better at attacking, defending or do we behave in a balanced way in both facets?
  • In what type of shots are we most lethal: spikes, volleys, lobs?
  • Do I like to have a lot of control, make drop shots?
  • Am I just starting out or do I have a high level?

Once we are clear about our level and style of play, we can know what type of racket we need for our type of game.

The shape of the padel racket

One of the keys when choosing a padel racket is its shape . There are three basic types of padel racket on the market depending on their shape:

Shapes Padel Rackets
Shapes Padel Rackets
  • Diamond-shaped rackets: it is a racket indicated for powerful, offensive players with some experience. The sweet spot is low and the balance is high, which means that it is not easy to control for inexperienced players. We must refine our technique before reaching this padel racket. It is a very common racket shape among professional players.
  • Teardrop-shaped padel racket: it is the most common shape today as it offers a balance between power and control, so it can be used by players with diverse styles and experiences. The sweet spot is wider and the balance more balanced.
  • Round-shaped padel racket: it is the shape that benefits players looking for control. The sweet spot is wide and the balance is low. It is easy to use. It is perfect for players who are new to padel or for padel players who prefer to sacrifice power for greater control and hitting efficiency.

Padel racket weight

It is a factor that sometimes goes unnoticed but that we must take into account, knowing how to choose the weight is very important:

  • The greater the weight, the greater the force our blows will receive.
  • A light racket, on the other hand, is more manageable and allows greater subtlety in the game.
  • In general, for a man the recommended weight of a padel tennis racket would be between 360 and 370 grams.

To avoid being overweight in the event that we put several overgrips or protectives, in the case of women 350-360 is normal, depending on their weight and if we have a more aggressive and forceful game we can increase the weight.

Types of rubbers in a padel tennis racket, EVA rubber or FOAM?

Core: the two most used materials for the core of the racket are EVA rubber and foam . EVA rubber is hard, less flexible and also makes it difficult for the ball to come out , but its durability is greater, in addition the main characteristics of padel tennis rackets are control and power, most manufacturers use them.

The FOAM has the totally opposite characteristics to the EVA rubber, it is soft, it has a medium control, medium power and a spectacular ball output , on the other hand, the durability is inferior, the sound of these padel racket is characteristic. There is also a third type of kernel that combines both.

nucleo tipos de goma palas
Types of rubbers in the core of Adidas padel racket

It is called ‘hybrid’ and it is a soft but resistant rubber, which is made up of a foam core with outer edges of EVA rubber, Nox has incorporated it in the latest padel racket .

Hybrid is the mixture of the previous two. Its main feature is that it increases the stability of the racket and at the same time reduces vibrations. This compound was no longer used after the appearance of EVA Soft rubber.

It is an EVA composite material but with better density so that the touch is softer, so its characteristics could be between foam and eva.

Sweet spot and balance of the padel padel racket

They are two variables that we have referred to above and about which we are always talking in sports such as padel tennis. The sweet spot is the ideal place to hit the ball, that space in the racket where the hit is stronger and more precise. The further we get from the sweet spot, the less precision and strength.

For its part, the balance is determined according to where the padel racket has its center of gravity . A balance close to the handle favors control and a balance closer to the head favors the smash or volley.

Types of rackets and their balance
Types of rackets and their balance

The balance as a general rule is directly related to the shape of the racket, if we took the racket by the center and put it on a scale we would know if the racket tends towards the handle , low balance , or to the opposite side, head , swing high .

A high balance is a general rule in diamond-shaped padel racket and causes the padel racket to have more power and lose control , a padel racket with low balance causes the padel racket to have a lot of control .

Hardness, soft or hard padel racket?

The hardness of the impact surface benefits one type of game and sacrifices another. The padel rackets that are soft, offer more power and make control difficult, that is, they help you defend yourself at the bottom and give more power at the net.

Keep in mind that the softer the padel racket, the more likely its useful life will be reduced. In the case of hard padel rackets, the opposite occurs. So, if you have no problem getting the most out of the ball, a hard racket will give you more control over your shots, especially at the net.

  1. Soft padel rackets . Soft padel rackets have a higher ball output, but this does not mean that they have more power than hard padel rackets. What the soft ones achieve is that the ball is fired with greater bounce. We can defend ourselves better and the touch is more pleasant. These types of rackets are preferred by players who are starting to be better rackets to control. Another advantage is that they produce fewer vibrations and avoid possible injuries such as epicondylitis.
  2. Hard padel rackets . They don’t offer as much bounce and have less output than a soft racket. However, they provide more power in the shots, since when hitting with all our strength the ball will be thrown at a higher speed. As an advantage, hard padel racket have greater resistance and tend to break less.

Padel racket technologies

It is true that sometimes they sound like Chinese to us due to their complicated names and definitions, but it never hurts to know the technologies that each padel racket has and select if they are good for us in relation to our style of play.

Brands spend a lot of money on designing their padel racket and making a difference. We have the ‘obligation’ to know what they are selling us in each model.

Game frequency

When are you going to play padel tennis, do you meet up with friends every Saturday or do you have a weekly routine, with a coach included? The higher your game frequency, the higher your level of demand will be . It’s simple, the more you play, the better your racket should be.

Manufacturing materials

The material with which a padel racket is made is resistant but, depending on how hard or soft it is, its useful life will be modified. A soft material will give more power but less control , while a hard material provides more control but less power.

The materials that make up a padel tennis racket are: carbon fiber (or glass), EVA rubber, foam, titanium, graphite, etc. You have to relate the properties of each material to what the player is looking for.

  • Fiberglass . It is the most used material in padel racket and is cheaper. It is true that little by little it is being superseded by carbon fiber, but fiberglass is more commonly found in low-end padel racket. Fiberglass padel racket are usually cheaper than carbon fiber or graphene padel racket. Their advantages are that they are more flexible, elastic and give off more than carbon but as a drawback, it should be noted that they are less resistant and a little heavier.
  • Carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is more characteristic of high-end padel racket. Manufacturers use carbon to cover the frames of the padel racket and in most cases the faces as well. Most ‘top’ padel racket are made of 90% carbon and 10% fiberglass. The properties of carbon fiber are: great flexibility , greater resistance , lightness and tolerance to high temperatures .
  • Graphene. Graphene “graphene” has recently been included in the manufacture of high-end padel racket. It is the strongest material that exists and benefits the performance of a padel racket quite a bit. At the same time that it is a very resistant material, it is also flexible and elastic, which is why padel brands manufacture their premium padel racket with graphene.
Sanyo’s padel racket, the Head Alpha Pro, has graphene

What brand of padel racket to choose?

Despite the youth of this sport, padel tennis constitutes a technical material market that offers numerous possibilities to the player in terms of rackets.

As in other sports, it is important to adapt the equipment with which we play to our style of play, level, position on the court and a set of factors that we have been describing throughout the article and that will lead us to opt for a or another padel racket.

When choosing your game racket, you should also take into account the brand of padel and know what the hallmark of the main brands on the market is, what makes them worthy of being chosen by a player like you. 😉

aDIDAS

Adidas always surprises us with each of their releases. It is a leading sports brand that is always committed to including the latest technologies and materials on the market.

It offers rackets, shoes, clothing and accessories of maximum performance and adapted to the needs of all players. Fernando Belasteguín and Pablo Lima are brand ambassadors, for example.

Pablo Lima plays with the Asics Speed Hard padel racket

Head

Alejandra Salazar, Sanyo Gutiérrez or Fernando Belasteguín are also some of the main representatives of this technical brand in the field of padel tennis.

In the case of the fifteen times number one in the world, he uses a Head padel racket for his matches, with great results so far and with a latest leading model such as the Delta Hybrid Bela.

Head Padel is a benchmark brand in most racket sports with extensive experience in manufacturing rackets that include the highest quality technologies and materials.

Ale Salazar plays with the Head Delta Motion

Its qualities stand out above other similar brands, differing precisely in its durability over time.

Perhaps its most positive point is the wide variety of rackets that it has in its catalog depending on the level of play: from amateur players with basic but effective rackets to professional rackets adapted to the type of player.

The EVA rubber and fiberglass material stands out in its best-selling padel racket, as well as a wider sweet spot that improves the player’s practical experience.

Dunlop

Another of the established brands in the world of racket sports with extensive experience in the manufacture of padel tennis rackets.

Dunlop ‘s strong point is the intermediate rackets, for amateur players who want to improve their game with practice no more than 2 or 3 times a week, and in a non-specific way. In value for money, for this type of player, one of the best options without a doubt.

Models such as the Galaxy or the Gravity are just some examples of the range of padel rackets for advanced use that Dunlop can offer us if we are professional players.

Aesthetics, another of the factors that most influences when choosing a racket or another that share similar characteristics, is very much taken into account by many padel players. It also meets expectations in terms of price.

Bullpadel

This brand is represented by numerous professional padel players on the World Padel Tour such as Paquito Navarro or Maxi Sánchez among others.

Although it is not one of the most popular in the sector, its quality does not disappoint most players.

The best thing about Bullpadel is the wide range of rackets that it has within the same level, being able to choose the one that best suits our style of play.

The Bullpadel Hack racket is the one Paquito Navarro plays with

Durability and resistance are guaranteed by this brand with external protectives on the edge of the racket that offers resistance to bumps or scratches with the glass.

On the other hand, there is a wide catalog of bullpadel rackets that have a double bridge on the handle. This piece collects a large percentage of vibrations and offers rigidity to the padel racket.

Its most sought-after model, the Bullpadel Hack and the Hack Control. Some rackets for those players with maximum power and control respectively.

Recommendation of a padel tennis racket

Knowing how to choose your padel racket is very important so that you don’t get frustrated during the game because you don’t play with the right racket or it doesn’t help you advance in level.

By way of conclusion, we can tell you that if you are a regular intermediate level player with a fairly refined technique who enjoys playing attack and whose best shots are the shot and the volley.

Your ideal racket will be a high-end diamond-shaped racket, heavy, with a medium or high balance and with technologies that boost power.

Conversely, if you’re a casual entry-level player looking to improve your technique, choose a lighter, round-shaped racket with a wider sweet spot and lower balance.

We hope this article has been helpful to you!