Babolat Dyna Energy Padel Racket

The two share a recipe, which is what makes the choice interesting. The Stima Energy is round and 335 g; the Dyna Energy is a teardrop and 330 g. On Padelful the Dyna scores 8.1 for power against 6.8, and gives up sweet spot (8.0 against 9.1), control (8.0 against 8.6) and rebound.

In plain terms: the round racket forgives you, and the teardrop rewards you if you are already hitting the middle. A player who wants a bit of finish from a light frame goes Dyna. A player who wants the safest light frame goes Stima.

Light, and quick off the mark. Babolat's description leans on manoeuvrability and ease of movement, and the 8.4 on Padelful backs it up. The Carbon Flex face is a blend of carbon and fibreglass that Babolat says gives carbon's power without an overly stiff feel, and the Smart Buttcap lets you adjust or remove the wrist strap.

The sweet spot is the part to be honest about. Padelful's 8.0 is perfectly decent, but it is a teardrop sweet spot, sitting higher on the face than a round racket's, and a lightweight frame has less mass to carry a mishit through. Expect to feel the ones you hit off-centre.

A note on numbers: Padelful lists the weight as 320 to 340 g and Babolat as 330 g with a 10 g tolerance. Same racket, different ways of writing it.

Babolat's light range is built on two shapes and two builds. Dyna is the teardrop and Stima the round; Energy is carbon and Spirit is fibreglass. Under the Dyna Energy sits the fibreglass Dyna Spirit, the same shape and weight with a softer, more basic face. For a gentler first racket, the Stima Spirit is the round fibreglass alternative. One retailer also lists an Acrab Pro with the same published figures, though we found no Babolat page for it.

If you hit a hard smash, a 330 g racket will feel airy behind the ball, and the diamond padel rackets page has heavier frames. If you are new to the game, a round racket is easier on mishits, and Babolat's own entry Counter Origin is a gentler place to start.

Babolat recommends its XCEL Gel grip. A tacky overgrip such as the Babolat VS overgrip is the usual top-up, and our padel grips page explains replacement grips against overgrips. Light rackets get knocked more, so fit frame tape from the racket protector range before the first match.

Fresh pressure matters when the racket adds little pace of its own, so a tube of Babolat Court balls is a sensible companion, and the padel balls page explains how fast pressure fades. The Babolat RH Pro bag will hold it, the padel bags page has more, and court shoes are on our padel shoes page.

For lighter frames across brands, see our women's padel rackets page and the full padel racket range, and read our guide to choosing a padel racket for how weight and balance change the feel. The teardrop padel rackets page compares shapes.