Bullpadel Crystal Grip Gel (Bottle)

Most anti-slip fixes in padel work on the racket: a fresher overgrip, a dry finish, a perforated tape. Crystal Grip does the opposite and goes on your palms. Padel Shack's listing describes it as an anti-slip desiccant gel that dries sweat quickly, leaves no white powder or sticky residue, and contains moisturising ingredients including aloe vera to protect against dryness and chafing. Zona de Padel adds that one application is meant to keep your hands dry through a match; that's the seller's claim, and on a hot July evening we'd keep the bottle in the bag.

Because nothing goes on the grip, it doesn't change how your overgrip feels or how fast it wears. That makes it a sensible add-on for someone who already likes their grip and just sweats more than the grip can cope with.

Each tackles sweat at a different point, and heavy sweaters usually end up with two of the three. A dry overgrip is the first fix; our padel grip page explains why. A long terry band such as the Bullpadel wristband pair stops sweat from the forearm reaching the hand at all. The gel is for what's left: palms that sweat however dry the grip is.

If your hands stay dry, a fresh overgrip every couple of weeks is all the grip you need, and if your racket only slips because the overgrip has gone shiny, replace that first; the everyday GB1200 Comfort overgrip is the one Bullpadel puts on most of its rackets.

A small bottle lives happily in the side pocket of any padel bag. The rest of the small kit that keeps a racket playable, from overgrips to protectors, is on our padel accessories page.