This guide doesn't end with a list of rackets to buy. It ends with a spec. Six questions, answered in order, and you walk into any shop knowing what to ask for: weight, balance, core, face, shape and budget.
Padelism makes clothes, not rackets, so there's nothing to sell you here except a pack of overgrips at the end. I've played padel in the Algarve, Malaga and Madrid, and at a lot of clubs in London, Essex and Manchester. Here's the straight version, built from the LTA's racket guide and a few specialist sources, all named.
New to the game? Many venues hire rackets on site, the LTA says, and that's the cheapest way to work out what you like before you buy. The beginner's guide to padel covers the first session.
Step 1: Be honest about your level
Every answer below depends on this one. Put yourself in one of three groups.
- New. Under a year of regular play. Still learning to hit the ball cleanly.
- Improving. Playing every week, connecting cleanly, starting to choose shots.
- Attacking. Strong technique, early preparation, and you finish points with overheads.
Be honest. Buying for the player you want to be is an easy way to end up with a racket that fights you. If you're new, these padel tips for beginners will do more for your game than any racket.
Step 2: Weight
The LTA says rackets typically weigh 340 to 390 g. Its rule of thumb:
- 340 to 360 g: more control, less power.
- 360 to 370 g: where it suggests beginners start.
- 370 to 390 g: more power, less control. Generally better for advanced players.
The LTA also says lighter, softer rackets may suit players with arm pain. So if your elbow already grumbles, stay at the light end whatever your level.
Step 3: Balance
Weight is how much the racket has. Balance is where that weight sits. The LTA's guide doesn't cover it, but Padel Browser, a padel site, has a clear explainer.
Balance is a distance, measured in millimetres from the bottom of the handle to the point where the racket balances. A bigger number means more weight towards the head. It isn't regulated, and brands label it loosely. Padel Browser found HEAD labelling one racket "low" at 265 mm, while adidas labels another racket at the same 265 mm "even". So ask for the number, not the label.
Its rough bands:
| Balance | Roughly | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Low (head-light) | 250 to 260 mm | Beginners, defensive players, anyone with arm pain |
| Medium (even) | 263 to 268 mm | Most club players |
| High (head-heavy) | 270 to 285 mm | Strong attacking players. Not beginners or sore elbows |
Padel Browser's advice is that below a solid intermediate level, a medium balance works on either side of the court. Want to check a racket yourself? Rest it across a pencil, mark the point where it sits level, and measure from the butt of the handle. Do it with your overgrip fitted, because that changes the number (more on that below).
Step 4: Core and face
This is the part where guides contradict each other, so here's what they actually say.
The core. The LTA says foam cores feel softer with more power, and EVA cores feel firmer with more control. On density, it says hard rackets give control with a firmer feel, and soft rackets add power and absorb more shock. Central Sports, a UK racket retailer, says the reverse on power: soft EVA is comfier and more controlled, hard EVA more explosive.
Where they agree is feel. Soft is comfier and absorbs more shock. Hard feels firmer. So choose the core on comfort, not on a power promise. New, or anything aches? Go soft.
The face. Less argument here. The LTA says fibreglass is flexible, easier to control and softer to the touch. Carbon is light but firmer to play with. The LTA's beginner pick is a foam core with a fibreglass face, because together they feel more forgiving. Central Sports adds that advanced players tend to move towards carbon faces and firmer foam.
Step 5: Shape
The LTA's three shapes:
- Round: control and consistency. Suits defensive players in longer rallies.
- Teardrop: the all-rounder, balancing control and power.
- Diamond: speed and power. Suits attacking players.
Shape also sets the sweet spot. The LTA says a large sweet spot gives control and consistency, and a small one gives more power but is less forgiving when you miss. For beginners it suggests round or teardrop.
One catch. Padel Browser points out that shape hints at balance but doesn't decide it. It lists a round racket rated head-heavy and a diamond rated head-light. That's why balance gets its own step. Check the millimetres, even if the shape looks right.
Step 6: Budget
No governing body sets a price, so these figures come from Central Sports, a UK retailer that sells rackets. Read them as guidance.
- Under £50: Central Sports says the foam in cheap rackets can compress and go dead within a few months.
- £55 to £120: its range for a first or second racket.
- £100 to £160: for improving players paying for better materials.
- £200 and up: wasted on a beginner buying a stiff diamond, it says.
Central Sports also says most players outgrow a first racket after six to twelve months of regular play, which is a good reason not to overspend on the first one. For real shelf prices at three spend levels, and how to split a first-kit budget between shoes and a racket, see the padel kit budget guide.
Your spec card
Take the row that fits you into the shop. Hold anything that matches before you pay.
| New | Improving | Attacking | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 360 to 370 g (lighter if your arm hurts) | 360 to 370 g, heavier only if your arm is fine | 370 to 390 g |
| Balance | Low to medium | Medium | Medium to high |
| Core feel | Soft | Your call on feel | Firmer if your arm is fine |
| Face | Fibreglass | Fibreglass or carbon | Carbon |
| Shape | Round or teardrop | Teardrop | Diamond or teardrop |
| Budget | £55 to £120 | £100 to £160 | Hold it first, then decide |
The last 5 grams: your overgrip
Padel Browser says an overgrip weighs about 5 g, all of it on the handle. On a 365 g racket balanced at 265 mm, one wrap moves the balance about 2.2 mm towards the handle, and two move it about 4.4 mm. So two overgrips can nudge a racket from medium towards low. That's the cheapest tuning you can do. If a new racket feels a touch head-heavy, try an extra wrap before you blame the racket.
Central Sports also points out that an overgrip lets you fine-tune grip size and soaks up sweat. The guide to fitting an overgrip shows the wrap and how to build thickness layer by layer.
Our Padelism overgrips are sweat-absorbing and easy to apply. A 3 pack is £7 and a 6 pack is £12. The rest of the small kit, from grip socks to caps, is in accessories. And if you want the rulebook side, length, holes and the wrist cord, it's all in padel racket vs tennis racket.
FAQ
What weight of padel racket should a beginner get? The LTA suggests a mid-weight racket of about 360 to 370 g for beginners. If you already get arm pain, it says lighter, softer rackets may suit you better.
What padel racket should I choose if my elbow hurts? The LTA points to a lighter, softer racket. Padel Browser adds a low balance, and says head-heavy rackets are the wrong pick for an elbow that already hurts. If the pain sticks around, see a physio rather than relying on the racket.
How do I find a padel racket's balance if the maker doesn't list it? Use the pencil test Padel Browser describes. Rest the racket across a pencil, slide it until it sits level, mark that point and measure from the bottom of the butt cap in millimetres. Do it with the overgrip and protector fitted, exactly as you play.
When should I upgrade my padel racket? When your technique has outgrown it. Central Sports says that's usually after six to twelve months of regular play. If you upgrade, change one thing at a time, say a firmer core or a higher balance, so you can tell what made the difference.
Does an overgrip change how a racket plays? A little. Padel Browser says each overgrip adds about 5 g on the handle. On a 365 g racket balanced at 265 mm, one shifts the balance about 2.2 mm towards your hand. It also changes the grip size, so measure balance with your overgrip fitted.
