Softee Phantom Padel Racket (2025)

Everything about the Phantom's build points one way. Fibreglass is a more flexible material than carbon, so the face gives a little on impact and throws the ball back without you having to swing hard. The EVA Soft core underneath adds to that springiness and takes some of the jolt out of a mistimed hit before it reaches your elbow.

Padelful, the Spanish testing site, put the Phantom 2026 (same fibreglass and EVA Soft recipe) through its review and scored the sweet spot and rebound at 9.5 out of 10 each, manoeuvrability at 8, control at 7.5 and power at 6.5. In practice: balls off the back glass come out easily, blocks at the net forgive a late reaction, and the racket doesn't feel heavy in the head.

The same softness that makes the Phantom easy also limits it. Padelful's cons are blunt: the elastic response costs you fine control at speed, attacking volleys lack penetration, and a fast vibora doesn't bite. None of that matters much in your first season. All of it starts to matter once you're winning points at the net rather than surviving rallies from the back.

A small honesty note on the year. We stock the Phantom listed as 2025; Padelful tested a 2026 listing. Both are described with fibreglass faces and frames and an EVA Soft core, but we haven't seen a Softee statement that the two are identical, so read the scores as a strong guide rather than a certificate.

The build is consistent across sources. The shape isn't: the UK retailer listing and our own catalogue call it a hybrid, while Padelful files it as a teardrop. In the photo it has a fairly round, wide head, so think of it as a forgiving middle ground rather than a pointed attacking shape. Balance has no published millimetre figure; our catalogue tags it medium, and Padelful notes it doesn't feel head-heavy.

At this level most rackets share the same basic idea, a fibreglass face over a soft foam, and the differences come down to shape and weight. These are the closest alternatives we've written up from the cheap padel rackets range.

First-time buyers, returning players, juniors moving up to an adult racket and anyone whose priority is keeping the ball in play. It sits comfortably among our best padel rackets for beginners. From the same brand, the Softee Trionic Fiber is another fibreglass starter, the Trionic Light is the lighter option, and the Summit Perla is Softee's step up.

Beginners clip the floor and the glass a lot, so a padel racket protector is worth fitting before the first session; Softee's clear protector strip is the cheap way to do it. Add an overgrip from our padel grip range once the factory grip starts to feel slick.

A tube of fresh padel balls, proper padel shoes for sand-filled turf (running trainers slide) and a simple padel bag complete the starter kit. Our guide on how to choose a padel racket explains shapes and weights if you're still comparing.