Bullpadel Hesacore Grip, Fuchsia

The surface is a grid of hexagonal panels, each slightly concave, which Tennis Warehouse Europe describes as increasing the hand's contact area with the handle. In practice your fingers settle into the same cells every time you pick the racket up, so the face is where you expect it to be and you can hold the handle a little more loosely. Bullpadel's own claim, as retailers quote it, is 8 to 14 per cent more grip, depending on the overgrip you use with it.

Retailers also make bigger claims about vibration and injuries. We'd treat those with care: a grip that lets you relax your hand may help a sore forearm, but it is not a treatment, and technique and racket choice matter far more.

Order matters. Take the overgrip and the original base grip off the handle, fit the Hesacore in place of the base grip, then wrap a fresh overgrip over it. Follow Bullpadel's own instructions for the fitting itself. Retailers describe it as easy to fit and to swap again later, so it's a reversible experiment rather than a commitment.

Expect the handle to feel thicker and more angular than before, as our padel grips page explains. If it feels too fat, use the thinnest overgrip you can find on top, such as the Wilson Profile Padel 3-pack, rather than a cushioned one. If you want a thick cushioned base instead, Solinco's Dura-Cush replacement grip is a 1.8 mm tennis-sold alternative.

There are four versions, and the honeycomb idea is the same on each. Zona de Padel's guide puts this classic version at a medium thickness with a soft feel. The Hesacore Carbon adds carbon fibres for a firmer handle, the Hesacore Gel is softer and padded for long matches, and the thin Hesacore W suits slimmer handles. There is also a Hesacore Tour.

If your handle doesn't twist and your fingers already find the right place, a fresh overgrip does most of what you need for much less. Players with small hands on a racket that already has a thick handle may find the classic Hesacore too bulky. And on a very light racket, any extra weight at the handle shifts the balance a little.

You'll need overgrips on top, and they wear out long before the Hesacore does: a multipack such as the Head Prime Tour 12-pack keeps you supplied. Heavy, head-heavy rackets are where a twisting handle shows most, so it's a common upgrade on something like the Head Extreme Pro.

Every grip and overgrip we stock is on the padel grips page, small add-ons like this are on padel accessories and padel gifts, and if you're choosing a racket at the same time, see padel rackets and our guide on how to choose a padel racket.