Babolat Stima Energy Padel Racket

Players for whom 360 g is a chore. That includes lighter players, players coming back from an arm injury and anyone who has felt their wrist complain by the third set. At 335 g with an even balance, the racket is quick to turn and easy to hold at the net, and the round head keeps the sweet spot where you expect it.

It also suits intermediate and advanced players who value touch over brute force. Padelful recommends it for intermediate and advanced players looking to improve their game, though it does not give the free power a heavier racket would.

Comfort and forgiveness are the headline. Babolat's Carbon Flex face is a blend of carbon and fibreglass, which feels softer and more flexible than a stiff 3K face, and the micro-perforations (Babolat calls them MicroPerf) take weight out of the head and widen the sweet spot. Padelful rates the sweet spot at 9.1, the best of its scores.

The trade-off is pace. A 6.8 for power is low, and a light frame has less mass to put behind the ball. Smashes will not carry as far as with a heavier racket, so your points come from placement, spin and patience. In padel, that is a more respectable way to win than it sounds.

On the numbers, Padelful's English and Spanish pages for the racket describe the same figures with slightly different wording. We use the English scores and the weight on Babolat's sheet; Padelful gives 325 to 345 g, which is the same racket within tolerance.

Babolat's light range comes in two shapes and two builds. Stima is round and Dyna is a teardrop; Energy has the Carbon Flex face and Spirit is fibreglass. The Stima Energy is the round carbon one. The Dyna Energy is the teardrop version at 330 g (the fibreglass-faced Dyna Spirit is the softer teardrop, and the retailer-listed Acrab Pro shows the same weight and thickness), a touch livelier but with a smaller sweet spot. The fibreglass Stima Spirit is softer still, and the Stima Vita is the cheaper, newer entry racket.

Anyone who wins points with the smash. A 335 g racket with a power score of 6.8 gives little to a hard hitter, and the diamond padel rackets page has frames that do the opposite. If you simply want a bit more weight and a standard frame, the heavier Counter Veron is the next step up in the same round family.

Babolat recommends its XCEL Gel grip. A tacky overgrip such as the Babolat VS overgrip is the usual top-up, and the padel grips page explains replacement grips against overgrips. A light racket picks up more floor damage than a heavy one, so fit frame tape from the racket protector range before the first match.

Fresh pressure matters when the racket adds little of its own, so a tube of Babolat Court balls is a sensible partner, and the padel balls page explains how fast a tube goes flat. The Babolat RH Pro bag will hold it, with more on the padel bags page, and our padel shoes page covers courts with sand-filled turf.

For the wider picture, our women's padel rackets page collects lighter frames from every brand, the full padel racket range is on one page, and our guide to choosing a padel racket explains how weight and balance change the feel.