Carlos González Cañas

Carlos González Cañas

Verified expert

From a young age, I had contact with padel thanks to my uncle, who always played with his legendary black and yellow Varlion racket—a racket he never let me use for fear I might damage it. However, it wasn’t until 2019 that I truly discovered my passion for the sport, beginning a nearly obsessive journey of learning and dedication.

I have worked as a journalist for specialized padel media and as an advisor in the Time2Padel physical store in Madrid, helping players of all levels find the racket and equipment that best suit their playing style.

Personally, I prefer medium-hard or hard rackets with a dry feel and medium-high balance, such as the Bullpadel Hack or the Babolat Air Viper, which perfectly reflect what I seek on court: power, precision, and a touch of aggressiveness in every shot.

Expert reviews

The AT10 has always been one of the most versatile and complete rackets on the market. A regular on any list of all-round rackets, and it’s no coincidence. The final impression is that it is a pleasure to play with, and it will surely continue to be one of the best-selling rackets in history.

Playing from the back, we quickly see that it is very comfortable, easy to move, and we can change the grip quickly. As it has a less reactive and drier rubber than in the previous version, you need a bit more swing to hit the ball firmly.

For lobs, for example, you’ll need to accompany the movement with your legs, but once you get used to it, they come out naturally. The dry touch also gives us more precision for drop shots and slow hits without the ball floating too much.

At the net, the AT10 12K Alum Xtrem also responds very well, especially in volleys. The ease of moving the racket back translates forward. Our unit weighed 363 grams and was very comfortable for adding speed and spin in volleys.

For smashes and viboras we notice that it is not a pure attacking racket and the inertia doesn’t help us much, but with good preparation and execution we can still generate aggressive shots with a lot of sting to win the point.

The Bullpadel Neuron 02 Edge is one of the brand’s most demanding rackets in the Proline range. With a hard, crisp feel, it is made for players seeking precision and power in attack. It rewards balls that don’t float, where the technical stroke drives the ball deep or adds speed—not the racket’s rubber.

Its more concentrated sweet spot requires clean technique to shine, but when you strike well the ball comes off fast and deep.

Although it sits among Bullpadel’s stiffest rackets alongside the Hack, its build makes it stable and very reliable on blocks and volleys. That said, it is not intended for beginners or players coming from softer models, as several matches will be needed to adapt to the stiffness and to handling low balls from the back court.

In short, a racket for intermediate or advanced players who want stability, punch, and a high-level offensive game.

The Bullpadel Vertex 05 Geo is an attacking racket with a more versatile profile than others from the brand. It keeps the diamond shape, but with a medium-hard feel and a reactive rubber that pushes the ball well when we add speed.

The geometric shape seeks to enlarge the sweet spot, although we felt it was of standard size.

The racket stands out in attacking plays, being a middle ground between the Vertex 05 and the Hack. Harder than the regular Vertex but less than the Hack. The reactive rubber works very well in attack but when we want to be precise in defense it is not so comfortable and requires a lot of touch.

A racket designed for intermediate or advanced players who want an attacking weapon but with an extra point of versatility and ease compared to other drier and more demanding rackets.

For us, one of the most versatile rackets on the market. We always say that if a racket has a lot of control, it won’t have power and vice versa, but the AT10 12K is one of the best at balancing both qualities. 

Unlike its big sister, the AT10 18K, this version has a slightly harder and drier feel, which makes it more powerful. Without quite feeling like a pure attacking racket, it is a model that, with its medium balance and a good sweet spot, responds well to aggressive strokes and swings, never falling short. 

Esta versión de la Wilson de Bela se siente ligera desde el primer momento que la agarramos. EN general una pala cómoda con un tacto medio, medio blando quela hace muy fácil de manejar y mover.

Sin embargo, tiene un balance medio alto lo que hace que en bolas bajas haya que agacharse bien y trabajar para devolverlas con garantías. A baja velocidad es una pala que funciona muy bien tanto en red como desde el fondo. Con ubn punto dulce enorme.

Quizá vamos a notar que nos falta algo de punch cuando apretamos mucho la bola. En remates técnicos si conseguiremos nuestro objetivo si lo ejecutamos bien, pero en golpeos de potencia, correremos el riesgo de vendernos si no lo hacemos perfecto.

The Metalbone Control version is a racket that feels very soft from the start. A very comfortable touch at low speed which, together with a longer handle, makes it a manageable model with great control. Added to its large sweet spot, it becomes an excellent option for players who are just starting out or who don’t need much power in their game.

That said, this type of rubber makes the ball bounce too much, which for us often makes it difficult to execute delicate shots without the ball floating. Especially if you are used to a harder or drier racket feel.

However, this will benefit shots where we reach the ball in a forced position and cannot perform a proper swing, just placing the racket – in that case, the Metalbone Control will help keep the ball alive.

In attack, however, this Adidas model falls very short and at high speed it will not help us generate power in our shots. It feels as if the racket absorbs all the force we put on the ball.

The racket used by Jon Sanz is a great option for players who enjoy rackets with a high balance and a medium-hard yet reactive rubber. In attack, we will notice that with short swings the ball comes off quickly because the rubber pushes it.

However, you will need to get used to a rather small sweet spot, more centered than usual for an attacking racket.

The Axion Attack stands out for its performance near the net and in aerial play. Shots where we are well positioned and can release the arm to hit hard are very comfortable thanks to its long handle.

The Bullpadel racket best prepared for attack. It has a hard, dry feel that allows us to be very precise with our shots and makes the ball travel faster and deeper with ease, as long as we hit it well on the sweet spot. For that, a certain level is required, since the sweet spot is not excessively large and is located at the head of the racket.

Without being as hard as Lebrón’s Viper or the Head Speed Pro, it is in our opinion one of the most comfortable attacking rackets on the market. The rubber is not very reactive, which means that if we block a fast ball firmly or make a short technical movement, it won’t bounce back uncontrollably.

That said, if you’re coming from a softer racket, you will need a few matches to adapt to the Hack and not struggle with low balls from the back of the court.

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