Stiga 1.3K Hard Cybershape Padel Racket

Cybershape is STIGA Sports' name for a hexagonal head, which STIGA calls iconic and says challenges the traditional way of thinking about racket design. It reports wind-tunnel tests with KTH that showed up to 12 per cent lower air resistance than traditional racket shapes. A retailer summarising STIGA's claim says the shape gives 20 per cent more sweet spot area than round rackets, and that is the brand's figure, not an independent one.

All six rackets in the September 2025 Cybershape collection share the geometry and differ in core, finish and weight. The 1.3K Hard is the one STIGA positions at the start of the range, and the 18K X Hard at the other end.

STIGA describes a racket built with 1.3K Carbon Fusion, Performance Foam and a 360 Carbon Frame, for a balanced feel, aimed at players who want active, confident play. The product page says the frame is chosen for durability and stable ball impact, and that the carbon face works with fibreglass. The release gives no skill level, a Swedish retailer calls it a good entry model, and a marketplace listing says beginner to intermediate.

What is missing is the set of numbers that decide how a racket feels. STIGA's page gives no balance point and no thickness, and the 360 g figure comes from a single third-party listing. Ask a seller or a club that stocks Stiga to let you hit with one before you commit.

STIGA's own one-line descriptions help. The 3K 2 is the stiff, precise one, the 18K 2 gives softer contact and control under pressure, the 18K Hard 2 a harder response and the 18K LW 2 a lighter weight to spare the arm. The 18K X Hard is the most powerful STIGA has made, with a harder Power Foam core.

The 1.3K Hard is the one with the 1.3K carbon face. That is the logic of an entry racket, and it makes sense for a player trying a hexagonal head for the first time. Our padel racket range puts it next to round, teardrop and diamond rackets.

Players who want a published spec sheet, a known balance or the softest racket going. A hard-named racket with a carbon frame is not a soft first racket, and nothing independent has tested it. Beginners who want forgiveness should look at our best padel racket for beginners page, and improving players at the best padel racket for intermediate players page.

A fresh overgrip from the padel grips page matters on a racket you have not used before, and frame tape from the racket protector range protects the head. Balls come from the padel balls page.

A bag with a shoe pocket keeps sand off the kit, such as the Babolat RH Pro, and the padel shoes page covers court shoes. Our guide to choosing a padel racket explains shape and balance, including why shapes differ.