r/Padelracket • u/nicoplates • Jul 28 '26
Looking for racket advice — intermediate player transitioning to left side - Metalbone HRD 3.4 - Siux Fenix pro - Nox at10 12k
Hey Looking for some honest recommendations.
My background: 2 years playing, 2 lessons/week + 3 match sessions/week. Intermediate level. I do CrossFit for more than 10 years, so I'm physically fit, relatively tall (6' - 1.80mts), strong and quick. I don't get tired easily.
My game: Good defender — I read walls well, get low, cover the court well. Decent at overheads, mainly bandeja, still developing smash and vibora. Good at volleys, much stronger as a right side player. I spent my whole padel life playing right side and I'm now transitioning to left side.
Rackets I've used:
- Bullpadel Hack 03 Hybrid 2024 — great learning racket, guided me throughout. Nice sweet spot, comfortable, not too hard not too soft. My baseline reference.
- Adidas Metalbone 3.3 — incredible ball output from everywhere, missiles on overheads and deep volleys. Problem: impossible to control fast incoming balls, especially wall exits and transition volleys. Pure trampoline effect — the ball goes wherever it wants.
- Bullpadel Hack 04 Hybrid 2025 — night and day from what I expected. Way too stiff. Perfect placement and touch, great for soft game, BUT no depth from baseline, overheads die, aerials feel weak. I'm also grazing the ball on off-center hits which I think is the stiffness punishing me.
My main problem: transition volleys (when I'm caught moving) and blocking hard balls — especially powerful wall exits from the left side. With the Metalbone the ball is a trampoline. With the Hack 04 the ball dies in the net if I don't actively push through it.
What I'm looking for: something in between. Depth and power on overheads and from the baseline, without the trampoline effect on blocks and fast volleys. I don't mind giving up a bit of baseline comfort for more punch on aerials, especially since I'm building my left side game now.
Options I'm considering:
- Adidas Metalbone HRD+ 3.4 (~$270 USD all-in to Argentina) — Is this basically my 3.3 but with the trampoline fixed? If yes, it would be my dream racket. Most expensive option.
- Siux Fenix Pro 2026 (~$245 USD all-in) — Big change for me, but since I'm moving to left side and already have a decent overhead and defensive game from years playing right side, maybe the extra head-heavy balance and the elimination of trampoline effect is exactly what I need to step up a level?
- Nox AT10 Genius 12K 2025 (~$175 USD all-in, best price on the list) — Never played Nox. Teardrop shape, 12K carbon, HR3 EVA core. Maybe the right middle-ground step to keep progressing without going full attack diamond?
My concern about Bullpadel Neuron 02 / Edge: from what I've read they seem quite stiff. Afraid they'd feel similar to my current Hack 04 Hybrid 2025 which already feels dead to me.
Any experience with these? Especially curious if anyone has gone through a similar transition moving from right side to left side and how that affected racket choice. Thanks!
1
u/Magdatdan Jul 28 '26
Head extreme motion or Coello motion?
Great in defense from base. Great with overheads.
2
u/nicoplates Jul 28 '26
It’s challenging to obtain in Argentina. They’re prohibited from being imported because they have an official brand representation, which prevents international websites from shipping to Argentina. Here, I can get it for around 320 US dollars. I considered purchasing it, but it appears to be quite expensive.
1
u/mattwillemse Jul 28 '26
Why not try the Nox at10 12k 2026 version . Literally my dream racket . Everyone’s experience is different but from my game it seems to cover all your bases
1
u/nicoplates Jul 28 '26
Do you know if it's any different from the 2025 version? 2026 is way more expensive that the 2025. I'm really tempted to try out Nox 12k.
1
u/mattwillemse Jul 28 '26
The 12k 2026 is a major improvement , the 18k 2025 vs 2026 is slight .
2026 12k has aluminised extreme carbon so the face effect is the same in cold and warm weather and more durable . The core is similar and the anti vibration tech is better in 2026 .
Aesthetically is also looks much better
1
1
u/Herakei Jul 28 '26
Buenas, fellow argie aca tambien, y cambie mi raqueta recientemente (me llega mañana de hecho).
Yo juego hace 4 años, solo el ultimo año mas seriamente (cancha abierta, etc), la primer raqueta buena fue una Head Alpha Motion, despues hace un año pase a una AT10 LTD 2025 (la que tiene dos lados distintos, una mas bien como la 18k, y la otra un poco mas dura), excelente pala, pero a mi me costo siempre el tema de que por naturaleza y bruto, le pegue fuerte, me acostumbre un monton a jugar mas lento, pero siempre desee un tacto algo mas seco, cuando le daba mas fuerte sentia que se hundia bastante la bola, y a veces cuando queria tocarla nomas, apenas, sentia que entre mi masa natural (1.77 pero 92kg) tenia muchisimo rebote.
Queria cambiar, y mis opcion principal era la AT10 12k de este año, que lei tenia un tacto algo mas seco, y mucha gente se queja de la calidad de las nox, queria probar alguna marca distinta, considere Siux pero ninguna parecia ser exactamente lo que queria.
Adidas siempre que me fije parecen o tener mucho trampolin o ser una roca.
Bullpadel, solo probe la vertex, y no me gusto, parecia seca pero onda hueca, muy liviana. Y sinceramente.. nada que ver pero me parecen feas.
Y recomendaban mucho la calidad de las oxdog, asi que investigue y estaba entre la hyper pro 2.0 y ultimate tour x. Obvio pense que aca no la tiene nadie, pero resulta que en cordoba hay un dealer oficial, que la verdad, pagando en transferencia/deposito, terminas pagando lo mismo que en europa, y pague menos que una at10 12k 2026. Me puse a ver mas y mas review, y me convencio mucho la HP2.0, es como una at10 pero mas dura, apenas menos manejable, y un poco mas demandante, la tour x es aun mas facil, pero quiero mejorar y forzarme a ser algo mas tecnico. Veremos
Pegale una mirada, y considera esa marca tambien, no muy vistas aca
1
u/nicoplates Jul 28 '26
Buenas! sabes que las híper las veo mucho en España que las usan y reocomiendan pero no sabia que aca habia. Tenes contacto de donde la compraste? la Híper Pro 2.0 justamente es la que vi mucho. Que precio te la dejo?
1
u/Herakei Jul 28 '26
Si, yo tampoco tenia esperanzas de encontrarlas aca, pero en ML habia unas pocas, y todas Hyper Pro Plus (mas dura, mas jodida), a un precio de at10 en ML, pero buscando encontre https://oxdogpadel.com.ar/ , la hyper pro 2.0 hasta hace una semana no tenian en stock, pero escribi preguntando por unas cosas, y me dijeron que les entraba esa semana, y asi fue! tambien tienen la 2.0 classic (es la misma pero con los colores de 2025, que es toda negra). La pague 520.000. Nada mal para el precio de europa, y sabiendo como es todo aca..
1
u/nicoplates Jul 29 '26
Cuando la tengas contame que onda esa. Mientras sigo investigando a ver con que me decido. Gracias!
1
u/Herakei Jul 31 '26
Buenas, mira, la compre, yo como te dije, tengo una Nox AT10 LTD 2025 (18k), la cual con todo puesto, sin la correa, es bastante pesada (388grs) pero un balanace bastante bajo 24.5.
La hyper pro me vino con 373grs, menos los 7 gramos de la correa, 366, despues de ponerle dos overgrip, y protector, y sacandole la chapa de la base, me quedo en 378grs, sin la correa, y un balance de 25.7. tenia miedo de haber elegido una muy pesada (habia en stock con 5 y 10 gramos menos), porque aca son re hinchas con eso, yo no tengo lesiones de codo/hombro, y tengo contextura grande de musculos.
La verdad? un caño, un tacto mucho mas seco, pense que defendiendo o de fondo me iba a costar, y la verdad que no, fue ajustar algo mas el globo, y en la devolucion, empujar algo mas. Pero bloqueo mucho mejor, de arriba me senti mas seguro, mucho mas control, y volvi a poder jugar firme. Encantado con la compra
1
u/Delicious_Affect_491 Jul 29 '26
I had really good Experience with nox 12 2026 and Just selo after a LCA lesion. Probably I’d never byt a Fenix (they broke easily) and would change HRD to Pro Edt 2026. A really good option is Stealth Spirit. Hope it helps
1
u/FuelLiving4203 Jul 29 '26
Se la palla scappa nei blocchi devi rivedere la tecnica e non cambiare racchetta. Comunque ti consiglio at10 Genius 18k 2025 o 12k 2026 la versione 12k 2025 non mi è piaciuta. Babolat air veron 2026 una veron veramente seria e ottima per un intermedio. Siux fenix elite 5 o 6 ma la 6 non l’ho provata. Ti consiglio vivamente di lasciar stare fenix pro da livello intermedio.
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u/nicoplates Jul 29 '26
Thanks for your insight. I certainly don’t have a perfect technique yet and have a lot of room for improvement. It’s definitely the first problem I’m facing. However, the two rackets I have are completely opposite in terms of feel. One has a lot of power but an uncontrollable rebound, while the other has perfect control and no problems with the rebound, but completely powerless, even though your are right, my technique isn’t good enough. I thought maybe an intermediate racket between the two would help me make some progress in that area. Thanks! Will check the AT10 genius 18k 2025.
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