Bullpadel Hack 03 CMF X-Series Padel Racket

CMF is Bullpadel's shorthand for Comfort. On a Hack, that means swapping the hard TriCarbon face of the standard racket for Fibrix, a blend of fibreglass and carbon in a more elastic resin, so the face flexes more and the ball leaves with less effort. Padelful's scores for the regular Hack 03 Comfort show what that buys and what it costs: rebound jumps from 7.9 to 9.7, power drops from 9.9 to 8.5, control from 9.6 to 7.4.

X-Series is less of a mystery than it sounds. Padel Nuestro files this racket under its exclusive models, and Decathlon sells a Vertex X Series it also calls exclusive, so the name marks a special edition made for particular shops with its own black and grey finish. Nobody publishes scores for the X-Series itself. The Hack 03 Comfort figures on this page are the nearest guide, not a test of this exact racket.

Think of it as a power diamond with the edges sanded off. The high balance and diamond head still push the racket towards the smash and the volley, and the Hack heart, a stiffer section in the throat, is there to steady off-centre hits. The Fibrix face then does the comfortable part: the ball springs off with a lot of free depth, and the shock on a mishit is gentler than on a carbon-faced Hack.

Precision is the trade. A control score of 7.4 on the Comfort 03 is low for a racket at this level, so flat, hard-hit balls can fly a little long until you learn to take pace off them. Players who win with placement and soft hands will feel that. Players who like to attack the ball from the net and let the racket add depth won't mind it at all.

The sheet behind this racket is Padel Nuestro's, and it's clear on most things: a diamond with a high balance, medium hardness, a Fibrix face, a MultiEVA core in two densities and a 100% carbon frame with Bullpadel's Nerve channels. It gets muddled on two lines. The core is also called Black EVA further down, and the surface is listed as flat in the table but described as sandpaper-like in the text. Expect a matt face with a little grip to it.

The weight isn't published at all. The regular Hack 03 Comfort sits at 360 to 375 g on Padelful. We won't put a number on the X-Series that nobody has measured; we'll weigh one when stock arrives.

Bullpadel kept the Comfort idea for the next two moulds, and on Padelful's numbers the power never moved: 8.5 on the Hack 03 Comfort, the Hack 04 Comfort and the Hack 05 Comfort 27. What changed is the balance between bounce and precision. The newer moulds give up some rebound (9.1 against 9.7) for noticeably more control (8.0 against 7.4) and slightly quicker hands.

So the 03 is the bouncier, looser Comfort Hack, and the 05 the tidier one. If you're buying on a budget and like the ball to fly, the X-Series makes sense. If you're investing in a racket for the next two or three seasons, the current Comfort is the better-balanced choice.

Intermediate and advanced players who already attack from the net and want a diamond that's easier on the arm than a carbon-faced Hack. It also works as a sensible first diamond for a strong improver ready to move on from a round or teardrop club racket like the Hack Advance. Our diamond padel racket and advanced padel rackets pages show the alternatives, and the cheap padel racket and padel racket sale pages list other carbon-framed rackets at reduced prices.

A head-heavy diamond rewards a secure hand, so fit a fresh Bullpadel Comfort overgrip and see our padel grip page if the handle feels thin. Diamond tips take the most knocks, so add Bullpadel frame protection tape before the first low volley.

Lively balls suit a racket built around rebound: a tube of Bullpadel Next Pro FIP is a good match, and the padel balls page explains how quickly a tube loses its bounce. The Hack Premier backpack keeps the family together, or browse the padel bag range, and our padel shoes page covers grip on sand-dressed turf. The Bullpadel rackets page explains the Hack, Vertex and Neuron lines, every padel racket we sell sits on one page, and our guide to choosing a padel racket covers shape and balance from scratch.