Hi everyone,

I’ve been playing padel intensively for about 1.5 years (solid intermediate, left side). My style is aggressive but tactical: I like building points through heavy pressure and precise placement rather than raw power, as my smash technique isn't perfect yet.

I’m looking to upgrade from my Head Gravity Motion Pro (2022). I recently tested a bunch of new rackets and wanted to share my thoughts, while also asking for some advice.

Here is my quick breakdown:

• Bullpadel Hack 04: It felt okay overall. No specific shots felt bad, but it just didn't give me that "wow" feeling. Hard to explain, but it just didn't click.
• Bullpadel Vertex 05 Delfi: Really fun to play with in defense, but my baseline shots were lacking. Volleys and viboras were okay, but I found the sweet spot quite difficult to hit consistently.
• Nox AT10 Luxury Genius 12K: Felt much nicer and more comfortable than both Bullpadel rackets.
• Adidas Arrow Hit CTRL (2026): This felt great and was actually the best racket I had tested up to that point. Everything felt good and smooth, but I still felt like I had to put in just a little bit too much effort on my shots.
• Adidas Metalbone CTRL (tested without weights): Wow. This was my absolute favorite. I initially thought I wouldn't like the trampoline effect, but it felt amazing. I could literally do whatever I wanted without feeling like I had to put in much effort. Smashes were perfectly fine too. It just felt right.
• Oxdog Hyper Tour X (2026): This was the exact opposite of the Adidas rackets. Where the Adidas helped me guide the ball, the Oxdog required me to do all the work myself to get the ball over the net and placed correctly (similar to the Vertex Delfi). However... oh my god, the smashes with this thing were insane. Unfortunately, the rest of the game didn't suit me.

My Dilemma / Question for you guys:

The Adidas Metalbone CTRL is my top choice, but I'm doubting between this one and the Metalbone Carbon CTRL. Unfortunately, the Carbon version wasn't available for me to test that day.

Since I love the effortless feel and ball help of the regular CTRL, I'm worried the Carbon version might be too stiff. Has anyone played with both? How do they compare in stiffness, sweet spot, and ball exit?

Thanks for the help!