Bullpadel Vertex 04 2025 Padel Racket

Like a racket that wants you forward. With the weight sitting towards the tip, a full swing on an overhead carries real mass through the ball, and the stiff 12K face sends it away quickly instead of letting it sink in. Padelful scores the 2025 edition 8.7 overall, with control at 8.9 and the sweet spot at 9.1, which is a generous sweet spot for a diamond.

You pay for that head weight at the back of the court. Digging low balls out of the corner takes a firmer wrist, and Padelful's own review says the higher balance point asks more of you in defence. The four testers on Padel.FYI, writing about the 2024 Vertex 04 (same mould, different paint), couldn't even agree on the smash: one called it a big step up in power, another said flatly that it is not a racket for smashers.

Our read? It rewards a clean, early swing and punishes a late one. Bandejas and viboras go deep when you hit through the ball; blocking a hard-hitting pair at the net is where the stiffness shows.

Buy it if you already play two or three times a week, like to close the net down, and trust your timing on the overhead. Players stepping up from a teardrop who want more finishing power usually get on with it, provided they accept a smaller margin for error than they are used to.

If it isn't quite right, the diamond padel rackets page lists every diamond we stock, the advanced padel rackets page widens the field to teardrops and hybrids, and the whole padel racket range is sorted by level, shape and weight.

The Vertex 05 arrived for the 2026 season on a new mould, and the 2027 Vertex 05 27 is that same mould in new colours. On paper the two generations are close to twins: the same weight band, 12K face, diamond head and 38 mm profile. The difference is where the weight sits. PadelSpeak measured the balance of the Vertex 04 2025 at 251 mm from the butt and the 2026 Vertex 05 at 263 mm, so the newer racket carries noticeably more head (even though Bullpadel's 2027 sheet labels the 05 27 medium).

That makes the 04 the slightly gentler racket. PadelSpeak calls the 05 stiffer and clearly more powerful; Padelshop's comparison argues the 05 feels softer and more versatile, so reviewers don't agree on feel, but the scales settle the balance question. The other gap is what you pay, because the 04 is the outgoing generation.

Buy the 05 if you want the current mould and the 2027 look. Buy the 04 if most of that, for less, sounds better.

Bullpadel puts the Vertex name on half a dozen rackets, and they don't play alike. The chart sets the 04 25 beside the rest of the family we stock, and the table sorts them by the player each one is built for.

None of them quite right? The Hack 04 is Bullpadel's other attacking diamond, built around Paquito Navarro's game, and the full Bullpadel rackets page covers the Neuron, the women's lines and the club models.

Three layers do most of the work. The face is Xtend Carbon 12K, a tight carbon weave that feels firm and returns the ball quickly, laid over Bullpadel's MultiEVA core, all held in a CarbonTube frame. The brand sheet adds Vibradrive (its anti-vibration system), Air Power channels in the frame and a Topspin rough finish that helps the ball bite on slice.

CustomWeight is the part worth knowing about. Small plates fit under the frame protector or into the grip, so you can push the balance further towards the head for more punch, or add weight at the handle to calm it down. Bullpadel sells a CustomWeight protector separately if you fancy experimenting.

Grip first. Most players wrap an overgrip on day one; a three-pack of Bullpadel overgrips sees off a few weeks of regular play, and our padel grips page covers tacky against dry and how often to change them.

Then the frame. Diamonds meet the glass and the floor more often than people admit, usually on the scoop out of the corner, and a racket protector is a lot cheaper than a cracked head.

A carbon diamond deserves a lively ball, so a tube of Bullpadel Premium Pro balls is a natural match, or the dozen box of the same ball if you play weekly (our padel balls page explains why pressure fades). Carry the lot in the Vertex racket bag. Last, look at your feet: a tour diamond in running trainers is racing tyres on a shopping trolley, and proper padel shoes with a herringbone sole stop the slide on sand-filled turf.

New to choosing a racket at all? Our guide on how to choose a padel racket starts from the beginning.