Bullpadel Hack 05 Padel Racket (27)

Bullpadel changes the number after Hack when it changes the mould, roughly every two seasons. The Hack 04 26 was the second and last year of the 04; the 05 is a new frame, not a repaint. The face (TriCarbon 18K), the core (MultiEVA) and the weight window (365 to 375 g) all carry over, so the difference is in the shape of the frame and how air moves through it.

The listings describe a larger Air Power channel in the lower frame and a reworked aerodynamic design, and the testers felt it. Padelful and NinePadel both say the 05 swings cleaner and faster than older Hacks, and the scores agree: manoeuvrability climbs from 8.3 to 8.8 while power stays at 10 and control at 9.0. What went the other way is the forgiveness. Rebound drops from 8.0 to 7.5, and the sweet spot from 8.2 on the 26 to 7.0.

In practice that means a racket that's easier to get round on a fast exchange at the net, and harder to rescue when you're late. If you liked the 04 because it was heavy and steady, try the 05 before you buy.

At the net it's terrific. Volleys go back flat and heavy, blocks stay firm against a hard-hitting opponent, and the quicker swing means you're not dragging a heavy head through a reflex volley. Overheads are where it earns its price: struck cleanly, the flat smash and the vibora leave with real pace, and the rough 3D Grain finish helps the ball bite on the side spin.

The feel is dry. Padelful calls the response immediate, and one video reviewer described a slightly softer carbon with a touch of trampoline about it, which shows how much feel depends on who's holding it. Everyone agrees on the back of the court. Defending off the glass with a lazy swing gets you very little back, and the small sweet spot means a ball caught near the frame lands short. This is a racket that does exactly what you tell it, including the mistakes.

Bullpadel's own site is hard to read from the UK, so the figures here come from the Tennisnuts listing, checked against Padelful's test sheet. They agree on everything that matters: a diamond, 365 to 375 g with the usual 10 g tolerance, a high balance, an 18K carbon face over a multi-density EVA core, a 38 mm profile and a 522 cm² head.

Two technologies are worth knowing about. Custom Weight lets you stick small weight plates on the frame to push the balance further up or bring the total weight up, and Vibradrive is an elastomer insert in the handle that takes some of the sting out of a mishit. Neither changes the character of the racket. A dry, head-heavy carbon diamond stays a dry, head-heavy carbon diamond.

Bullpadel makes several power rackets for 2027 and they're not interchangeable. Plot Padelful's power score against its sweet spot and the Hack 05 sits alone in the corner: joint-top for power, bottom for forgiveness. The XPLO 02 27, Martín Di Nenno's racket, gets within a tenth on power with a slightly bigger sweet spot. The Icon 27 is heavier and hits less hard. The Vertex is the one most players should look at first.

Yes, if you're an advanced or strong intermediate player on the left side, your overheads are reliable and you already use a diamond. Players moving up from a Hack 04 will feel at home within a session or two, and the faster swing is a genuine gain for anyone who plays a lot of quick net exchanges. Our advanced padel rackets and diamond padel racket pages put it alongside the other head-heavy options, and the Bullpadel rackets page covers the rest of the range.

Collectors and Navarro fans might also look at last year's limited Hack 04 Tour Finals edition in pink, which is the 2025 mould rather than this one.

Give it a few sessions before judging the feel; a new MultiEVA core is at its firmest out of the box. Don't add Custom Weight plates straight away either. Play it as it comes, and only add head weight once your timing on the smash is consistent, because extra weight at the tip shrinks the margin on an already small sweet spot.

A head-heavy racket needs a hand that doesn't slip, so wrap the handle with a Bullpadel overgrip 3-pack and change it before it goes shiny; the padel grip page explains thickness and grip size. A diamond's tip is the first thing to hit the floor, so fit a Bullpadel Custom Weight frame protector early.

Fresh balls make a big difference to a racket with this little rebound. A tube of Bullpadel Premium Pro balls suits it, and the padel balls page explains when a tube has gone flat. The Hack bag matches the family, or browse every padel bag. Good padel shoes matter more than usual with a racket that punishes late feet, and if you're still deciding on a shape, our guide to choosing a padel racket and the full padel racket range are the places to start.