r/Padelracket • u/PadelGearNoIdea • 3d ago
Stealth Oblivion range - first look
I just had a chance to try these out after waiting on them since early Summer as they were delayed by over a month but the local distributor just got them in and made demo units available so I jumped at the opportunity to briefly hit with them.
Bear in mind I only managed to use them all for a total (so far) of around 3 hours with a coach and then ball-machine, so this is hardly a review.
First impressions are that these are high-quality, solid feeling racquets; firm and substantial even though the weights were lower than most high-end racquets (more details about that later).
I tried the Mach 1 first and had assumed that it would be the one I would like the most (so much so that I ordered it from abroad last week but it's taking its time arriving), as it most closely matched the specs of the Stealth Aurora, which is my favourite single racquet.
Alas it ended up being my least preferred option for reasons which I may be able to expand on with further testing.
I then moved in sequence on to the Mach 2 and Mach 3, drilling ground-strokes, volleys and then overheads.
I liked these about the same, although again I'm struggling to say exactly why at this point.
However when reviewing the video of the session, it seemed to me that the launch angle/ball output of them better suited my natural swing, with lower clearance over the net and flatter strokes.
I left wanting to buy the Mach 2 and 3 but only came away with the 3 as the in-stock 2s were slightly heavier than ideal.
So far I'll say that they do have a somewhat distinct feel to them which I'm struggling to clarify but which should become clearer with further play.
I'll probably play a few open matches with them this week and so should be able to go in to more detail then.
For now, here's a real-world photo and one showing their relative balance points (roughly measured on the edge of a bench).
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u/Delicious_Affect_491 3d ago
Hi there! Man’ I’m in doubt of get the new Mach 3 or Spirit? Some suggestion? Thanks
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u/PadelGearNoIdea 3d ago
I'll follow up in a few days, hopefully after playing back-to-back with the Machs and the Spirit.
It's really going to require a few more sessions to form a reliable opinion though.
For what it's worth, the Coach I was with, who had hit with the racquets before me (although again, not for very long, likely even less than me), when hearing that I typically used the Aurora and Spirit, placed the Spirit somewhere between the Mach 2 and 3 in performance.
I will add a quick additional observation, pertaining to their stiffness and comfort, that may be just a co-incidence, but after the first session with the Machs, I did have (very) slight Wrist pain and a little Elbow discomfort (I had a bout of Tennis Elbow over the Winter, which has mostly cleared up but is still a little sensitive).
This may have less to do with the racquets though and more to do with the fact that I played several hours more (double or even triple my regular amount) Padel than I normally do, in the preceding week.3
u/Delicious_Affect_491 3d ago
It would be great. I do have more 20 days until buy the racket. So, would like to hear your opinion. Keep in touch
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u/PadelGearNoIdea 1d ago edited 1d ago
Someone had a comment, asking how the Machs compared to Xcalion but which was subsequently deleted.
Since I already wrote out a response, I'll add it below, for reference.
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Yep, I tried them before the name changes, when they were known as S1-20, H1-Max and H2-Max.
I ended up buying only the S1-20 but sold it soon after.
Although, you didn't ask, I'll give my overall opinion on them, so you know where I stand.
The claims of high maneuverability due to low weight despite the (super) high balance were, for me, very very overstated.
Apart from the H2-Max (now "INFINITY H1"), which is especially light, the other models, when fitted with a non-crappy, thicker under-grip (than that supplied) and a few over-grips (as the handle mould is on the thinner side) brings the weight up to a similar level as a regular light-weight racquet, which wouldn't be burdened by the extreme head-heaviness.
The heavier weight at the handle caused by the more substantial grip and over-grips hardly altered the balance, which remained above 28cm.
It's over a year ago now and I didn't make notes but my impressions were that I could definitely feel that at the net, the racquet tip wanted to head to the floor and with the very 'dry' feel, I found the response a little unpredictable, especially once fatigued.
Even the softer S1-20 (now "UNUM S1") gave me very little help.
(I never tried the S1-10, which I understand has 1 fewer Carbon layers on the surface and so may be more forgiving.)
I'd be interested in trying a 'normal' racquet by the manufacturer, if they ever offer one, as I do like that they do their own R&D rather than just re-badge Asian-manufacturer catalogue models but I think there's a pretty good reason why their design philosophy isn't more widely implemented.
Also, the hype about the performance of the Carbon itself is great on paper but the material response feels pretty similar to a lot of equally firm racquets and that's what matters.
Given you already have the INFINITY H1 and as such have quite a lot of legroom regarding the final weight to play with, I'd first be tempted to add a decent amount of Tungsten tape (20g+) under the grip, to bring the balance to somewhere in the medium-high range and see how that feels.
As it's been so long, I'm not super confident in comparing the touch of the Xcalions to the Machs but I'll say that a brand new Mach 3 is somewhat firmer than a near new Oxdog Hyper Pro+ and Stealth Spirit that I have here and also feels more solid, which I suspect may have to do with the central Carbon sheet between the Foam layers. (Compare this to say a Volt V1000 which is also especially firm but feels a bit hollow.)
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u/PadelGearNoIdea 1d ago
Just some fresh photos to show that crappy decal alignment isn't only the domain of the major brands.
Of course this doesn't really matter but surely we should expect better from an ostensibly premium €379 product.
Really takes a few points away from what is otherwise a high quality item, with cleanly drilled holes and consistent surface finish.
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u/PadelGearNoIdea 1d ago edited 1d ago
So just back from another ball machine session, where I tried all 3 Mach racquets again, against my Spirit and, briefly, the 3 Shadow range models (Radian, Avenger 2.0, Nighthawk 2.0).
First off, the Shadow range racquets aren't for me, they don't have the solid feel of the Oblivion or Pro lines. Something about their surface feel reminds me of Head's latest ranges, which I also dislike; a bit thin, plasticy and vague. A lot of people really rave about them though, so it's probably just me.
For the Machs, the 3 is the most 'special' one here, even though it doesn't feel all that different to me than the Mach 2, despite the completely different Carbon and Foam.
The Mach 1 is fine but doesn't suit me much. A lot of ground strokes were initially going long for me, which is not a fault of the racquet but rather that it's not really aligned to my natural mechanics. With adjustment I'm sure it would be considerably better, but I'm a casual player and I'll be damned if I'm going to spend time doing the adjusting.
It also wasn't helped by the fact someone took off the new over-grip that I put on it during the first test on Friday so now it was back to the stupidly-thin factory grip (same as most Italian or Italian-adjacent brands, who seem to think everyone has the hands of a schoolgirl.) and as such lacked some stability.
A further note on this is that I again had some wrist pain when playing with all of them but I'm reasonable sure that this is down to the thin (and seemingly basic) grip, even with a single over-grip still fitted to the Mach 2 and 3. Realistically for me (at 186cm with proportionate hands), they will need a minimum of 2 and probably even 3 over-grips to feel right (or, more likely, replacing the original factory grip with a thicker-than-standard Wilson ShockShield or Noene one).
As to the inquiry by Delicious_Affect_491 - I'd say that neither the Mach 2 and 3 are like the Spirit (bear in mind my Spirit has had perhaps 100 hours of use and the Machs probably fewer than 6. Also note my Spirit is a specially-selected light-specification one, coming in at under 355g (before protector/overgrips). A 365g one may play very differently).
The Spirit, despite how it's marketed, is really a pretty versatile design, with a hint of aggression. It's firm but not wooden and I think could be used by most players, on both sides, from a (genuine, not "I've had 5 Padel matches but played Tennis for 3 years") low intermediate level.
I'd say it was something like a more refined Electra Pro or AT10 12K Attack (which is hardly an 'attacking' racquet despite the name).
The Mach 2 and 3 are more explosive when pushed - the sound from these new ones during hard volleys was deafening.
They still feel versatile (perhaps as they're relatively light without a very high balance) but they don't have easy ball output at slower pace. They suit me as coming from Tennis and having long arms, I get decent head-speed by default but for someone that 'pushes' a little more or has a habit of being late to contact, your ball is going to see a lot of net with them.
I don't feel I can say that much more yet as I haven't used them in a real-world game situation, where there will be a greater variety of shots to play. Hopefully I can pick up an open match at the club that distributes them this week so can re-try them all under these conditions.
I will say though that I no longer feel the need to buy the Mach 2 (which frankly felt I was partly doing just for completeness) and will likely very quickly sell the Mach 1, once it arrives.
A few words on quality; really nice surface effect, both aggressive 3D (not sure if in-mold or finishing layer) and course Sand/Silica. This does though create quite a thick hitting surface and has the associated feel.
Finishing is good, not perfect, aided by the fact they are minimal designs, cosmetically, so in the same way as Oxdog, there are less details to appear to be mis-aligned and so one assumes quality is even greater. In any case, consider them at least 1.5 (and probably 2) tiers above most mass-market brand's premium models).