StarVie Astrum+ 2027 Padel Racket

StarVie places the Astrum+ in its premium line for intermediate players. The face is 12K Carbon Hyper, which StarVie describes as carbon with a wide sweet spot and a soft feel, and the core is M-EVA Balance, a medium rubber. PadelVerdict lists the balance at 260 mm, a medium stiffness and the weight as the brand's declared 360 g, give or take 8, which it did not measure.

StarVie's technology list reads like a brochure but is worth knowing: Air Booster, which supports swing acceleration, Shock Shield to damp frame vibration, a Five Sides frame, and Z-Shock in the grip. Retailers list the weight as 350 to 370 g, and we treat that as the range.

PadelVerdict's scores are a clear shape: sweet spot 8.1, control 8.0, playability 7.9, comfort 7.8, spin 7.7 and power 7.4. In plain terms you get a racket that stays playable on off-centre hits, places bandejas with depth and volleys with some precision, and feels soft for a carbon face. The reviewer ranks its sweet spot 11th of 63 teardrops in its database.

Smashing is down to you. Power is in the lower half of that database, so the Astrum+ suits players who win by rhythm and patience, not one big swing. For finishing, the same review points to StarVie's Triton Power+ 2027.

A caution on numbers. PadelVerdict's 2026 verdict of 8.6 and its 2027 verdict of 7.9 look like a drop, but the reviewer attributes much of that to a change in its own scoring method, so don't read it as a worse racket.

The 2026 racket is also a 12K Carbon Hyper teardrop with an M-EVA Balance core at 360 g, and Padelful scores it 9.4 for sweet spot and 9.1 for rebound, with power at 8.2, control at 8.0 and manoeuvrability at 7.9. Its strengths are a huge, forgiving sweet spot and quick transitions between defence and attack, and its weakness is limited free power. That is the same character as the 2027 review describes.

The Raptor+ 2026 is the Astrum+'s more controlled sibling, and the round Kenta+ 2026 is the softer one, while the livelier Drax Plus trades some of the sweet spot for pace. Padelful and PadelVerdict use different scales, so don't compare their numbers directly. The sensible reading is that the 2026 and 2027 rackets are close relatives, and that a discounted 2026 racket is a fair buy if you can find one.

Finishers. If you win points with the smash, the 7.4 for power and the soft feel will frustrate you, and StarVie's hard-hitting Black Titan is the firmer option, with our advanced padel rackets page covering more. Beginners are better served by a lighter, cheaper racket such as StarVie's Polaris 2026, and the best padel racket for beginners page lists them.

A forgiving racket still wants a good grip. An overgrip such as the Head Pro overgrip is the usual first extra, and our padel grips page explains when to replace instead. Frame tape from the racket protector range is worth fitting before the first match.

A racket that gives little free power needs live balls, so a tube of Bullpadel Next balls is a sensible companion, and the padel balls page explains how quickly pressure fades. The padel bags and padel shoes pages complete the kit, and the full padel racket range sits on one page, with our guide to choosing a padel racket explaining shape and balance.