Babolat Counter Viper 2.6 Padel Racket

Most people reading a Viper page are choosing between two of them. The Counter is the round, patient one. The Air Viper 2.6 is lighter at 355 g with a 16K carbon face, and Padelful scores it nearly the reverse: power 9.1 and rebound 9.1, but a sweet spot of 7.4 against the Counter's 9.1.

Put plainly, the Air gives you pace and asks you to hit the middle. The Counter gives you a big middle and asks you to supply the pace. For most club players the bigger middle is the safer purchase, because a mishit with a forgiving racket still lands deep.

Defence is where it earns its place. Padelful's testers singled out stable blocks and controlled bandeja and vibora, and the round head puts the sweet spot exactly where you expect it, low in the face. The ball comes off predictably, which is a polite way of saying it never surprises you in either direction.

The cost is feel and speed. The face is hard, so timing matters: arrive late and the shock goes into the arm rather than the ball. It is also a touch slower through the air than the lighter Vipers, with Padelful giving it 8.4 for manoeuvrability. Quick exchanges at the net are where you will notice.

Babolat's sheet lists head-heavy balance. Some retailers describe it as even, one as low, and one gives 270 mm. We go with the maker's wording and would call the difference small in the hand: it is a round racket with a bit of weight up top, not a diamond.

Searches for the Counter Viper 2025 and 2026 are often the same person trying to work out whether last year's racket is worth the saving. On the evidence, mostly yes. Padelful scores the 2025 at 8.0 for power, 9.8 for control and 9.0 for sweet spot, against 8.1, 10 and 9.1 for the 2.6. Both are hard, both use a 3K face and an X-EVA core.

Nothing there would change how you play. If a clean 2025 turns up at a good price, you lose very little by taking it. If you want the current colours and Babolat's current build, the 2.6 is the one we list.

Babolat builds the Viper range from a control racket up to a power racket on a common 38 mm frame, and the choice is mostly about what you want help with. The Technical Viper 3.0 is the heavy diamond for attackers, with Juan Lebron's own Viper 3.1 above it; the Counter is its opposite number. The same logic runs across the Veron line for lighter, more manoeuvrable options, such as the Counter Veron or the teardrop Air Veron 2.6.

Anyone shopping for free power or a soft feel (the fibreglass Counter Vertuo 2.6 is the gentler round racket). Padelful's testers say as much: little power for nothing, so you have to produce the pace yourself. If your smash lives or dies on racket speed, a diamond padel racket will suit you better.

It is also the wrong buy for a player who is still finding the game. A hard 3K face on a head-heavy frame is not forgiving of a late swing, and the best padel racket for beginners list is full of softer cores that are kinder to an arm learning the sport, including Babolat's own round Counter Origin.

Grip first. Babolat recommends its Syntec Evo grip; a tacky overgrip such as the Babolat VS overgrip is the usual way to adjust the feel and keep a firm face from stinging, and our padel grips page explains replacement grips against overgrips. Frame protector tape comes next: the racket protector page covers the options, and a pack such as the Bullpadel Pro frame protector fits a round frame fine.

Balls change a hard racket more than you would think, since fresh pressure gives you the bounce the Counter does not supply. The Babolat Court balls are the natural match, and the padel balls page explains how fast a tube goes flat. For the bag, the Babolat RH Pro bag carries it with room for a thermal pocket; browse more on the padel bags page, and every style of court shoe is on our padel shoes page.

Comparing the Counter Viper with every other brand? The full padel racket range is on one page, the advanced padel rackets list and the best padel racket for intermediate players page set it against its rivals, and our guide to choosing a padel racket explains shape and balance from the start.