Bullpadel Icon 27 Padel Racket

Padelful rates both editions 9 for power, and that's where the likeness ends. The Icon 27 loses almost a point on control (8.0 against 8.9), a point on rebound (7.5 against 8.5) and a full point on its sweet spot (7.2 against 8.2), and it's slower in the hand (7.4 against 8.1). Testers found it crisp on a flat smash and penetrating through the middle, and less forgiving the moment you catch the ball off centre.

So the choice is simple. If you hit cleanly and want the most solid, structured Icon, take the 27. If you'd like the same punch with more room for error, the Bullpadel Icon 26 is still on the site and is the kinder racket.

Bullpadel's sheet puts the Icon 27's balance at about 26.3 cm on its own scale. That's above the Vertex 05 Geo 27 at about 26 cm and well above the standard Vertex 05 at about 25.4 cm, and it comes with a weight window that starts higher than either. On court it feels like a racket that wants to fall forward into the ball.

That mass is why the flat smash and the bajada come off so heavy, and why the racket arrives late when a ball is fired at your chest. TWE's listing says defence gets harder to manage with this weight and balance, and Padelful agrees that it needs acceleration when you're pinned at the back.

All three are carbon diamonds for advanced players, and they split by how much forgiveness they keep. The standard Vertex 05 diamond keeps the most: its 2026 edition scores 9.2 for sweet spot. The Hack 05 27 goes furthest the other way, with a perfect 10 for power and a 7.0 sweet spot. The Icon 27 sits close to the Hack on that scale, a shade less explosive and a shade more measured in feel. Martín Di Nenno's XPLO 02 27 is the other extreme, scored 9.9 for power.

Icon Core is the new part. The arms at the heart of the frame are twisted by 25 degrees, which Bullpadel says controls torsion, transfers more energy at impact and cuts through the air more cleanly. The face is biaxial 12K carbon over a MultiEVA core in three densities: firmer outer layers for hard hits, a softer middle for slower balls.

Comfort comes from Ease Vibe, four small dampers set in the holes of the face whose position you can change, and Vibradrive in the handle. The racket ships with Bullpadel's honeycomb Hesacore grip, and it takes the 3 g CustomWeight plates if you want even more mass. Our padel grips page explains what Hesacore does under an overgrip.

Advanced players on the left side who hit hard, move well and want the racket to add weight to an overhead rather than forgiveness to a mishit. Padelful widens that to ambitious intermediates with clean technique, which is fair, but only if your contact is already consistent. The advanced padel rackets and diamond padel racket pages show what else plays like this.

If the stock Hesacore wears through, a Bullpadel Hesacore Carbon grip keeps the same feel. A head this heavy meets the floor on low volleys, so fit the Bullpadel CustomWeight protector, and see the racket protector page for alternatives.

For balls, a Bullpadel Next Pro FIP dozen suits competitive play, and our padel balls page explains why fresh pressure matters. The Icon 26V men's shoe carries the same name, and every shoe made for sand-dressed turf is on our padel shoes page. The Bullpadel rackets page, the full padel racket range and our guide to choosing a padel racket cover the rest.