Padel racket weight and balance: what changes when you add 5 g?

Three things to ask before buying

How heavy is the racket you would actually receive? A specification may describe a range. If the two models on your shortlist overlap, ask the shop whether it can weigh the actual units, with packaging removed. If it can’t, keep the range in your notes. Treating the midpoint as a measurement makes the comparison look more precise than it is.

Where does it balance? This is the distance from the end of the handle to the point at which the racket rests level. A larger distance puts the balance farther towards the head. Check which end the seller measured from. Convert centimetres to millimetres before comparing listings: 25.8 cm and 258 mm are the same distance.

How hard is it to turn? That depends on where the mass sits relative to the axis you turn the racket about. Two rackets can agree on the scale and even at the balance point but still distribute their mass differently. In everyday shopping, it’s fine to leave swingweight unknown. You gain nothing by assigning a number based on the face shape or a photograph.

Our comparison of 100 adult rackets puts women’s labels in context. For a single racket, go back to the model specification.

Take the Bullpadel Elite W 26. Bullpadel’s specification lists 350–360 g and a balance of approximately 25.8 cm. That tells you more than “light”, but it doesn’t tell you that the unit in the shop is exactly 355 g. Nor is 258 mm a swingweight. If someone recommends this model because of a label, ask which of its actual specifications suits the racket you are replacing.

What researchers found in 137 rackets

A 2022 study in Sensors measured 137 padel rackets. They ranged from 316 to 387 g, with a mean of 363 g. Balance points ranged from 246 to 283 mm from the handle end. Those are measurements of the study sample. The mean is not a target for a beginner, and the endpoints aren’t limits on what shops sell today.

The researchers measured how resistant each racket was to rotation around three axes. They also asked 50 people to put three selected rackets in order after moving them by hand. The authors found that distinguishing the middle and less manoeuvrable rackets was harder. This was a handling comparison with three deliberately chosen specimens. It did not measure who hit a better volley or won more points.

There is a useful distinction here for anyone reading a review. A balance measurement applies to the specimen and grip setup the reviewer used. A handling verdict also depends on who tried it. If a reviewer loves a racket for quick exchanges, ask what they compared it with. Someone moving up from a particularly light frame is making a different comparison from someone coming down from a head-heavy one.

The five-gram placement table

Imagine a 360 g racket balancing 26 cm from its butt end. Add a small 5 g mass at one of three positions along its centreline. Hold everything else constant. These are constructed examples, not measurements of the Bullpadel model or instructions to attach weights to it.

To reproduce the balance column, multiply each mass by its position, add the two products and divide by the new total mass. For the last row that is (360 × 26 + 5 × 40) ÷ 365, or about 26.19 cm. Calculate the millimetre change before rounding the displayed centimetres. Download the inputs and results to substitute your own measurements.

For the last column we chose a fixed axis across the handle, 10 cm from the butt. Treat the added mass as a point on the racket’s centreline. Its contribution is mass in kilograms times the square of its perpendicular distance from the axis in centimetres, following the moment-of-inertia calculation. At 40 cm, the distance is 30 cm, so the addition is 0.005 × 30² = 4.5 kg·cm². The original racket’s inertia is unknown. The table gives only the addition, not a total swingweight or a percentage change in effort.

Look at the middle row. A scale would pick up the extra 5 g. A perfect balance measurement would show no change. Yet the added mass is still some distance from the chosen axis and increases inertia about it. That’s why “the balance stayed the same” is too weak a reason to expect two rackets to swing alike. Your hand and arm are not fixed around our example axis during a rally, and a real overgrip spreads its mass along the handle.

Consider two ways of adding those same 5 g without changing the balance point. Put all 5 g at 26 cm, as in the middle row. Or split them equally between 10 and 42 cm: the two positions average to 26 cm. Both versions now weigh 365 g and balance at 26 cm. Around our example axis the split addition contributes 0.0025 × 0² + 0.0025 × 32² = 2.56 kg·cm², twice the 1.28 contribution of the central addition. Only the added inertia doubles. The racket as a whole does not become twice as hard to swing.

Measure your own racket before comparing models

Start by putting your match racket on a scale in its usual condition. Arrange the strap on the racket so no part rests on the table outside the scale. Write down the grip and protector setup with the result. A note that says “mine, ready to play” is more useful than a catalogue midpoint copied months ago.

Next, use a stable, narrow support over a low surface. Lay the racket face flat across the support and move it a little at a time until it rests level. Measure along the racket from the butt end to the support. Lift it off and repeat. If the strap changes position or a broad support gives you several plausible readings, record the range you can repeat. Don’t report tenths of a millimetre because a calculator can display them.

Now make the comparison fair. If you weigh your own racket with two overgrips, but the demo without the extra grip you normally use, note the difference before drawing conclusions. If the shop allows the demo to be set up like yours, measure it again. Otherwise leave a gap in your notes. The five-gram example shows the direction a change could take without pretending you know its exact size.

Choose between the two rackets left on your shortlist

Use the racket catalogue to narrow the options to models with suitable listed specifications. If you’re unsure what trade-off to make, the racket chooser asks about the handling you want. Neither can weigh the individual unit you’ll receive.

For a demo, choose one shot that tells you why you are changing rackets. If you feel late on a compact backhand volley, start there rather than with a favourite smash. Ask a partner for similar feeds, use your usual racket first, switch to the candidate, then go back. Pay attention to whether the original problem returns. This is a practical comparison, not a controlled performance test.

Write down the observation rather than the verdict: “I got the face into position sooner on that feed” tells you more than “better control”. Then check a second shot you care about. A racket that solves the first problem but feels awkward on an overhead may still be the wrong change for you. If you can’t repeat the difference, keep both models on the shortlist or keep the racket you have.

When ordering online without a demo, decide what uncertainty you’re willing to accept. Ask for the weight of the actual unit if a few grams matter to you. If the seller has only a range and a balance category, those are the two pieces of information you have. Choose on that basis, rather than treating an unmeasured change in swingweight as the reason to buy.

Sources

1. Identifying the Inertial Properties of a Padel Racket: An Experimental Maneuverability Proposal, Sensors, 28 November 2022. Laboratory sample and handling comparison.
2. Bullpadel, Elite W 26. Manufacturer’s listed specification, checked 30 October 2026.
3. OpenStax, University Physics Volume 1, section 10.5. The worked examples use hypothetical inputs and a declared axis.