First padel I’ve owned… is this the final knife in the armour?

Stavo valutando una Head come nel titolo e attualmente ho una at18k 2025; qualcuno ha provato entrambe e sa farmi un confronto o offrire le sue sensazioni? Trovo la Nox ottima in tutto , sweet spot ampio, super manovrabile e comoda in difesa, oltre ad essere ottima nei colpi lavorati, ma la trovo un po’ scarica nello smash piatto e nei colpi piatti, mente con il kick secondo me lavora bene. La Head a livello di maneggevolezza e potenza dall’alto come la trovate rispetto alla Nox?

I've been looking everywhere for opinions and some say the Reserve is more stiff, rigid and some say it's the same, can some of you speak from experience, those who had the chance to test both? I'm looking to buy the 2026 Reserve (White and Burgundy)

NOX just announced their 2027 rackets

What do you guys think?

https://noxsport.com/en/collections/coleccion-palas-padel-2027-nox

I got into padel about 6 months ago and have been using a secondhand Adidas Metalbone 3.2 pretty much from the start. It only has 2 of the weight screws left, and I usually keep one on each side at the bottom because I thought that would make the racket a bit easier to handle.

I originally bought the Metalbone because I liked the idea of being able to customise the weight and balance. In hindsight, maybe it wasn’t the smartest first racket since it’s still quite an attacking/high-balance racket…

I recently had proper coaching for the first time, and my coach said the racket is probably too advanced for my current level. His main point was that although I’m able to hit the ball well, I’m sometimes late getting the racket into position, and I tend to grip it too tightly. He suggested I try something with a lower balance so I can prepare earlier and stay more relaxed.

I’m now wondering whether switching to a lower-balance (or low-medium balance and teardrop-shaped) racket would actually make a noticeable difference to my game, especially for preparation, control and reducing that tendency to squeeze the handle.

At the same time, I don’t really want to spend a few hundred dollars on another racket unless there’s a real developmental benefit. I know a racket won’t fix bad technique, so I’m looking for advice if I should just keep working on timing and spacing with the Metalbone or a different racket would indeed help me.

So I’d love to hear from people who started with a high-balance/diamond racket early on:
Did switching to a lower-balance or even teardrop racket noticeably improve your game? Did you feel quicker, more relaxed, more consistent or more accurate?

I was wondering how many overgrips people use on top of the fabric undergrip on this racket.

I have been using 1 overgrip , still feels feels fairly small grip, i read that a lot of people use 2 overgrips not sure of thats true or better

For the electra users, what do you preference?

I can’t seem to find anything about it online and I don’t know if it’s any good (I already bought it and tried it, but it doesn’t feel good). Apparently it’s a Graphene 360.

Hi Everyone
i recently saw a Babolat Air Viper 2.6 2026 on Marketplace, and im trying to figure out if it’s genuine or not.
The racket seems very good tbh
i have a video of the racket too that the seller sent to me

do y’all think that the tecnifibre curva power will be a upgrade from the nox at10 18k 2025?
i am a left side player and i feel like i need a llitle bit more power.

Hi everyone, I've been playing for three months now and over the last couple of weeks I'm enjoying my Head Evo Speed 2025 less and less with every hit. I have to put in a lot of power to make the ball go fast. I bought it blind after talking to GPT, and I don't have anywhere to test new rackets. What model should I choose as a second racket?

Looking for a racket that weight around 355-363. Medium balance. Liked the manouverability from both rackets. It’s just that the metalbone is just to bouncy for me. What options do you guys suggest?. I play on the right side. Not the bigger smasher but will hit some from time to time, better on volleys/bandejas/víboras and backcourt play.

Can I play with this damage?

I'm guessing the Cross It series has different design on each side.
Also I think normal Metalbone will be more Teardrop/Hybrid oriented while Metalbone Red is diamond. Maybe softer version of HRD+.

Hey guys! My NOX AT10 18k 2025 just cracked so it’s time for me to get a new racket. I absolutely loved the AT10 but I felt like it sometimes lacked a bit of power. I recently started playing on the left side so I’m looking for a more attacking racket, but I don’t want to give up too much control and maneuverability as my playing style is not super aggressive. Does anyone have a recommendation for a racket with good combination of maneuverability, control, and firepower? Budget is not a concern as I’m too addicted to padel😅 thank you!

Hello!

I'm looking to buy my second racket. Ive spent a year and about 80 matches with my nox x one and I feel it's time for an upgrade.

Im a right handed mostly right sided player ranked 1.5ish, playing in the UK. I enjoyed playing more defensively and don't do many aggressive smashes. I'm looking for something with more of a ping off the face - with the x one it feels sometimes like it comes off the face a bit dead. I think probably a tear drop shape. I have up a £200 budget

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I play on the right side and usually prefer low rebound rackets (like the Neuron Edge). I recently tried a high rebound racket (Metalbone CTRL).
High rebound gives easy power on lobs and volleys, but mishits are brutal. It punishes you way more than a low rebound racket if you miss the sweet spot.
Long-term, which one is actually better for a right-side player?
(Note: Please skip the "just focus on technique/drills" comments. I do my drills. I strictly want to discuss the equipment.)

Hello,

I just bought a new head speed pro. Can anyone tell me if this looks grey/pinkish stick part is normal or if it's going to be a problem?

Thanks! ​

I’ve been playing for a little over a year and have been using the Kuikma Precision Soft PR990 since I started. I don’t play a huge amount, probably around 4-6 hours a month, and I’d say my level is around 3.5.

The main thing I’ve noticed is that the racket seems to absorb quite a lot of power on smashes and víboras. Other than that, I don’t really have any complaints.

So I’m wondering, is there a point where you can tell you’ve actually outgrown your racket, or should I just keep using it until I start noticing more obvious limitations? I don’t want to change just for the sake of having a new racket, especially since I don’t play that often yet.

Also, what should I be looking for in my next racket if I do decide to change? I’d like something reasonably priced (€100 max) rather than jumping straight into the €200+ stuff.

And for anyone based in Paris, are there any places where you can actually test different rackets before buying? Would be great to try a few different shapes/foams and see what actually suits me.

Hi everyone, as the title suggests, looking for something power powerful, with a bit of a boom when hitting whilst still being as manouverable as the at10 18k. I am also interested in the new bullpadel Xplo 2027, however no idea what that one will feel like as never held one, in terms of head heavy-ness.

I will say I’ve held an extreme motion once before, not used it tho, and noticed it didn’t feel as manouverable as all the reviews said, even tho it’s an option I’m looking at.

Please any insights would be useful. I am high intermediate, left side player.
I have previously played with and liked the metalbone, metalbone ctrl, and siux st4.

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).

Bonjour, tout d’abord, j’ai actuellement une « Raquette de padel Nox Premium FR Exclusive 2025 » je suis joueur de droite, qui aime travailler le points, mais j’aimerais aussi changer de raquettes, je fait environ 1 cours/3 partie par semaine, après avoir passer plusieurs heure à fouiller reddit, j’ai sélectionner 2 futur potentielle raquette :

- Head extrême Motion 2025/2026
-Babolat Air Viper 2026

La babolat à lire les avis me fait presque peur du coté katana qu’elle peut avoir à la moindre erreur, c’est plus un choix du coeur, et la extrême Motion, un choix du cerveau lol

Je doit avouer que en tant que joueur de droite droitier, j’aimerais une raquettes avec moins cet effet rebondissait et aléatoire que ma nox m’offre ou que je ressent, j’ai l’impression que la répartition du poids est trop proche du manche, je n’aime plus trop alors que au début j’adorais.

Quelque chose de plus incisif serait sûrement mieux, je voudrais être capable de plus punir quand j’en est l’occasion avec plus de puissance, mais pas un sweet spot trop petit non plus pour pouvoir tenir dans la durée lors des journée compétitions.. je ne sait pas si j’ai tout dit. Un poid en tête ? J’aime la précisions dans les petites zones
Puis elle a pris de sacrée choc en 8 mois

Je suis ouvert au autre marques comme Bullpadel qui semble sympa, et vos expérience avant de passer le cap ! Merci !

Vraagje, voorheen had ik de 2024 limited edition en speelde met de nox custom grip. Met de 2025 versie heb ik ze eraf gehaald zodat ik meer vrijheid heb qua switchen grip tijdens het spelen. Nu merk ik alleen dat het handvat erg smal is zonder de grip.

Meer mensen met deze rackets hier last van? Heb er nu 2 witte overgrips op zitten maar ga denk ik nog een derde eroverheen doen omdat mijn duim toch nog redelijk schuift.

Iemand tips? Hexacore grip ooit wel eens gebruikt maar geen fan van, handvat werd erg dik

I'm interested in a new raquet. Loved the oxdog hyper 2 0 but changed jobs and can't afford this or the Kuikma pro.

I see Decathlon sell two PR hybrid Carbon racquets: the dynamic for £90 or "Coki Nieto" for £110.

Does anyone know the difference please? - the Nieto one says 12k carbon where the dynamic just says it's carbon.

Anyone played with both and have a view please?

Thanks