Soft of hard carbon padel racket – what’s best? The hardness of the internal core and the surface are one of the most important factors when choosing a padel racket. It greatly affects the feeling and playability on the padel court.
Soft carbon padel rackets: good speed
The first category to analyze is soft padel rackets. These are great for beginners as they help the player to accelerate the ball and generate speed.
We refer to speed as the velocity the ball gets at no or little effort. An example is when you block a fast ball from the opponent at the net or hit a looser shot from the defensive part of the padel court. Thanks to a bigger elasticity of the inner core, more speed is generated in these situations.
While softer rackets generate more speed with no or little effort, it’s the opposite when hitting hard on the ball, for example in smashes. As the ball travels further into a soft padel racket, the power gets absorbed.
A soft racket is more comfortable and generally has a larger sweet spot. It also absorbs vibrations in a better way and is therefore well suited for those who want to prevent injuries.
Hard carbon padel rackets: great power and control
Generating good speed at looser shots may be the main advantage of a soft racket. A hard racket, on the other hand, is a lot more powerful.
When you hit hard during a volley or a smash, the recoil of a hard racket generates a higher output speed. That’s simply because the power is not absorbed by the core in a hard racket.
Another advantage of a hard racket is that it offers better control. Players with good technique and experience can place shots with more precision using a harder racket.
On the contrary, a hard racket doesn’t generate the same speed at shots with no or little effort due to less elasticity. It’s also not as comfortable or as good at preventing injuries as a soft racket.