Padel racket test with Babolat and Dunlop in Münster

Almost every month, a new Padel location opens (by now there are over 40 Padel locations in Germany), existing padel locations are building more courts and the number of padel players is steadily increasing - and with it, many new padel players are asking themselves the question "which padel racket is the right one for me?".

To answer this question, I met with Florian Schlücker of Babolat (left in the photo) and Jan-Christoph Boldt (right) from Dunlop for a test match. The fourth member of the group was Richard Ströhl (centre), who runs Germany's largest padel facility in Cologne together with Patrick Pihan.Padel Walls).

Florian and Jan-Christoph provided their current padel lines. Since I had been playing Dunlop's Inferno for the last few years, I started the padel racquet test with a racquet from this brand:

Dunlop Blast - this is also the official racket of Padel Pro Tour player Juan Mieres.

Fortunately, the change was not very difficult because Dunlop has a very homogeneous range of racquets. It's relatively easy to switch from one racquet to the next - depending on whether you want more control or speed.

The 2017 Inferno model combines both characteristics, but is also less forgiving than the entry-level models. The force required to hit the ball is relatively low, which can be a clear advantage, especially in defensive situations. Definitely a racquet for ambitious players.

Facts about the Dunlop Blast:

• Shape: Oversize Híbrid
• Profile: 38mm
• Weight: 365-375gr
• Players: Advanced and Profile

After that, two rackets from the Babolat range came up for testing. As I had never played with a Babolat padel racket before, I was curious to see what I could expect. It was clear right from the first 2-3 strokes - this is a completely different world.

By that I mean neither worse nor better, but simply a completely different feeling of play.

First I played the Babolat Star, which is quite light at only 355 grams, which is also noticeable during play. This racket is characterised by very good power transmission and high precision. I found my way into the game with this racket very quickly. Especially when volleying and serving, I had a very high control over the ball.

Facts about the Babolat Star:

• Shape: round
• Profile: 38mm
• Weight: 355 gr
• Players: Advanced

After that I switched to the Babolat Storm.

With Babolat, too, you quickly notice that the racket family is homogeneous and you can try out a different racket without having to make a big change. The precision is very good, as with the Star model, and you can make a little more power at the same time. Advantages especially for volleying.

Nevertheless, I had a few problems with the Storm model because you need more power with this racquet - this was particularly noticeable in my game with the groundstrokes from behind and with the serves. Maybe I just need to do more strength training again!

Facts about the Babolat Storm:

• Shape: Drop
• Profile: 38mm
• Weight: 365 gr
• Players: Advanced

 

My padel racket test conclusion:

Both Padel supplier have great rackets. Their models cover the whole range from beginners to advanced and professional players. Since I have been playing Dunlop for 4 years, I get along very well with these rackets. Here I will also take a closer look at the Turbo SF, which I had played for a few minutes a few days before. And at Babolat, I will borrow the Babolat Star again. I really had a lot of fun with that one!

A complete presentation of the two 2017 product lines will follow individually in the next few days. There will also be a brief overview of bags and shoes.

My thanks go to:

Florian and Jan-Christoph for the presentation of the rackets and to Richy, who came all the way from Cologne and won the most sets on this day! And of course to Arnd Schade from Trend Sport Rummenige in Münsterwho not only provided us with a great padel location with a panoramic court, but also with hot and cold drinks.

 

Here you can find more information about padel tennis rackets

 

Buy Padel Rackets

Here you can easily buy padel tennis rackets (e.g. Adidas padel rackets or Wilson padel rackets):

 

Tip:

Ask your padel coach if he can give you a few padel rackets to test. Then you know beforehand what you are buying!

 

What are padel balls?

Here you can read about Padel Tennis Balls inform.

 

Test report by David Ernsting