adidas Metalbone Carbon Ctrl 2026 Padel Racket

Reviewers keep reaching for the same words: predictable, comfortable, stable. The sweet spot is easy to find, the ball leaves with a soft, measured pace, and volleys and blocks stay put instead of rattling around. Padelful's testers describe it as easy on the arm, and Racket Central calls it a more approachable Metalbone than the stiffer 16K models.

The surprise is how well it moves. Padelful scores manoeuvrability at 9.2, well above the 7.9 of the lighter Metalbone Ctrl, which is a nice reminder that the weight on the spec sheet is only half the story. A round head with an even balance swings through the air quickly even at 360 g and up.

What you give up is the finishing blow. Reviewers note limited top-end smash power, modest spin and a less explosive overhead. If a point-ending smash is your favourite shot, the Carbon Ctrl will not flatter it.

Both are round, both are control rackets, and both carry the Metalbone name. The Metalbone Ctrl uses a 16K aluminised face and sits at 345 to 360 g, which gives it more power and a bigger sweet spot. The Carbon Ctrl swaps to a 6K face and a heavier frame and comes out softer, quicker in the hand and better for control, according to Padelful's numbers.

Pick the Ctrl if your problem is finishing and you want the face to do more work. Pick the Carbon Ctrl if your problem is consistency, or if your arm complains after a long evening. If you want the biggest sweet spot in a round adidas, look at the Arrow Hit Ctrl, and for a firmer round feel the Cross It Ctrl. The Arrow Hit Carbon Ctrl is the firmer-faced alternative. If you want a diamond instead, the Metalbone Carbon shares this racket's face on an attacking shape.

Below it are the soft fibreglass rackets: the RX Series and the Metalbone Team Light. Above it is the 16K Ctrl. That makes the Carbon Ctrl the natural first carbon racket in the range, and the step adidas players take when fibreglass starts to feel dead.

The 2024 edition, the Carbon Ctrl 3.3, shares the round shape and 6K face; adidas numbered its generations until 2025 and has named them by year since.

Players who live on the smash and the víbora, who want a lot of spin, or who like a racket that fires off the face. Padelful lists limited top-end power and modest bite as the weaknesses, and reviewers say plainly it is not an aggressive racket. A beginner is also better off on fibreglass; our beginner padel rackets page starts there.

A soft racket still hits the glass. Fit a racket protector first; adidas' antishock tape is an easy way to start. Because the Carbon Ctrl rewards a steady hand, a fresh overgrip counts: try the adidas overgrip 3-pack, and browse the padel grips page for thicker or tackier wraps.

Fresh adidas Speed RX balls keep the soft face honest, and our padel balls page covers how long a tube lasts. Carry it in adidas' Control racket bag or any of our padel bags, and wear padel shoes built for sand-filled turf.

More round rackets from other brands sit on our control padel rackets page, advanced padel rackets covers the top of the range, and the carbon padel rackets page explains the faces. Our guide to choosing a padel racket starts from first principles, and the full padel racket range is one click away.