My FAVOURITE Padel Rackets 2026!

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]In this video, I'm going to go through my favorite paddle rackets 2026 for all of the different levels. I run my own online paddle store with over 200 rackets from some of the best brands in the world. These are not sponsored picks. These are rackets I'd actually use and recommend. Let's get into it.

[00:00:14]So, let's start off at beginner level.

[00:00:16]I've got the ball paddle Apex Power and the Nox X0. I'll start with this Nox one first as this is part of the Zero and Hero range in Nox. And to be honest, I could have put forward the other Heroes and Zeros because they're all perfect for beginner level. I just personally preferred the design of this one and this one has been the most popular out of all of them. So, the main reason why this is amazing for beginner players is because it's a round shape. It's got a big sweet spot. It's got a soft, comfortable feel. It's got a strong frame. All of those attributes are ideal for beginners because they allow you to improve really quick when you're learning new techniques. They reduce the number of missets. And the other thing I would say about it is it's very good value. Sub£60. It's quite rare to get a very good racket at this price point. Is actually decent as well. knocks. We don't have too many issues with them breaking. So, this is why it's one of the best for beginners. The next racket for beginners is the ball paddle Apex Power. So, this racket is the diamond shape. It's more head heavy. It's got a very wide sweet spot and a soft, comfortable feel. It's also got a sandpaper surface for spin. I wouldn't usually recommend a diamond shaped racket at beginner level, but with this Apex Power from playing with it on court due to the wide sweet spot and the soft feel, it is very easy to use and very forgiving for beginner players. Overall, it's just a very easy racket to use for beginners that want to attack. So, overall, there's nothing crazy about either of these beginner rackets.

[00:01:31]They're just really easy to use and ideal for beginners. They've also both been very popular. Now, let's move on to the intermediates. Right, moving on to intermediate level. Now, this is my favorite intermediate racket. This is for all out control and comfort, the Equation Soft. It's always been one of my favorites and always historically been one of the most popular in my store, but just online in general. These things usually sell out very quickly.

[00:01:52]The reason being it's the same specification as beginner rackets in the sense that it's round controlbased, low balance, very soft and comfortable.

[00:01:58]However, this one has a couple extra features that make it a little bit better for intermediate level. One of them being the dual spin surface. So, it's got a textured surface on this part of the racket and on the white part of the racket, it's like a sandpaper surface. It's also got some durability technologies in there like a carbon frame and a technology from Nox called DCS which essentially just makes the racket that little bit stronger. But overall, the reason why this racket is so popular is because it's one of the most comfortable and easiest to use models. Very versatile. A lot of intermediate players are still at that stage where they often hit the ball too hard or they still need to prioritize control. And this is why this racket is perfect. The next intermediate choice I've got is the Babala Air Virtuo. This one is a little bit more attacking than the equation soft. It's a hybrid/ teardrop shape. It's slightly more head heavy with medium balance, which means you will get more power with it. And it's got a slightly longer handle as well. So when you hold it near the bottom, you can feel that extra weight and extra power. Now for intermediate level, I still personally don't love players using the diamond shaped attacking rackets because I still think at that stage you're developing and they can be quite tricky to use, which is why I've gone for this one. If you're an intermediate player that likes to play a bit more aggressive, I think this is a really good compromise. You still get lots of control. It's also lightweight, so you get good maneuverability, but it's not too tricky to use. It's got a textured surface, you can get more spin, and a fiberglass face, so it's very soft and comfortable. This one has been really popular among leftsided players that want to play a little bit more aggressive. The idea behind the Air Virtue is that it's a maneuverable racket. So for volleys and overheads, it excels. Overall, if I'm recommending a racket for an intermediate player that wants a bit more power, I would recommend this one. So all of these rackets here are more my personal recommendations for beginner and intermediate players. Now, let's move on to my personal favorite rackets for 2026. Coming in at number five, my fifth favorite paddle racket for 2026 is the Oxdog Ultimate Tour X. Now admittedly I have not used this racket too much myself personally but the reason it makes this list is because Jake Buy he's one of the top players in the UK used this racket himself. He plays very well with it and it's been an incredibly popular racket in the market in general.

[00:03:53]I partnered up with Jake in a lead grade 2 tournament and we made it all the way to the final. He played amazing with it and the way I would describe it is that it is a very versatile racket because Jake usually plays on the right with it.

[00:04:03]A little bit more of a control game but in that video he played on the left and he did play very aggressive with lots of smashes. We're playing in really slow conditions as well. So, it shows you this racket does have a lot of power.

[00:04:13]So, it's quite a unique racket in the sense that it's diamond shaped, but it's not really head heavy. It just has medium balance. So, it's not that head heavy. You still get a good mix of power and control, and it's a medium to hard feel. So, not really soft, but not like super super stiff. Overall, just gives you a very balanced feel. So, overall, I think this could work for all kinds of players. It's definitely the most popular racket in the Oxdog range, and it's my fifth favorite. Coming in at number four is the Bull Paddle Vertex Hybrid. Now, when I did this video last year, I actually ranked the older model of this one number one. I absolutely loved it. And Stan, who I was doing the video with, also loved it. This year, they changed it slightly. They made it more so it was a lot closer to the round shape, whereas last year it was more towards the teardrop. And I just found it to be a little bit too much on the control side. When I was using this model last year, I played a few tournaments and I played on the left with it and it just didn't quite have enough power. Felt a little bit more suited to the right. But overall, I like something that's really, really well balanced. And this one just felt a little bit more controlled. However, it is a fantastic racket. It's got a really big sweet spot. It's got the rough sandpaper surface. It is powerful because it's got that strong carbon. And when you hit the ball clean, the ball really does fly off it. But I would recommend it if you're intermediate to advanced level. If you're playing on the right side, a little bit more of a control game, and you only really go for the winners when it's really there to be hit. Right. Next up on the list, we're coming in at number three. And number two, we've got the Nox 8 to 10 12K. and the Nox 8010 18K. I used both of these rackets at the end of 2025 and 2026. So, let me just go through my experiences with them. I used this for about a month and a half, the 12K when it first came out. I really liked it. The control on this one is unbelievable. I remember I played against Lassay Paddle and the Sangill, two huge content creators out in Denmark. And I played on the right side and that's where this racket excelled the most because in defense, this racket is amazing because it's very forgiving. It's got a big sweet spot.

[00:05:59]The maneuverability and feel is just fantastic. So, I did really like this model and I thought it was going to be my number one, but then I tried the 18K, which is slightly softer. That's the main difference between these two and I preferred it even more. There might have been a little bit of psychology because I do prefer the black design, but overall this racket was my number one for 2026 for so long. Used it for many, many months. The balance of power control is really good being teardrop shaped. I could get enough spin. I could use it on the left side, the right side.

[00:06:27]The maneuverability just felt great.

[00:06:28]Even just holding in the hand right now, it just feels really comfortable in my hand. I think overall it probably suits players a little bit more on the right side because it is slightly more controlbased due to that slightly softer face and it's got a very big sweet spot.

[00:06:41]Some of my best performances this year have been with this racket. You will have seen a lot of videos of me using this one. If you want to know more information about all of the rackets I've spoken about today, I'll leave the links to all of them in the description below. There's quick little video reviews on all of them and a lot more information. And if you've got any more questions, you can contact our racket expert via WhatsApp on the website.

[00:07:01]Right now, let's move on to the number one, my favorite paddle racket for 2026.

[00:07:06]Here it is. It is the Everything Paddle and Palap signature paddle racket. Now, let me explain, guys. Hear me out. Now, I know that you're going to be thinking, of course, this is your number one favorite. It's the Everything Paddle Racket. But let me tell you the story behind this racket and how it came about. Palap approached me and said, "Do you want to make your own paddle racket with us?" And I was like, "Yes, 100%."

[00:07:25]And so I tested the full range to find the perfect one for me. Chose the specifications, then obviously put my own design on it, added everything paddle signature just to make it my own.

[00:07:34]But I basically designed the perfect paddle racket for my game. So of course, this is my number one racket because the specifications perfectly match what I like in a paddle racket. That is the hybrid shape, so it is very well balanced between power and control. It's got medium balance, so it's slightly head heavy, but not too head heavy. The full face, it's a sandpaper surface. I do like that. And it's slightly lighter than most rackets, just a little bit lighter, maybe 5 10 g. It comes sort of on the scales around 355 to 360 g, which is the perfect weight for me as I do like things a little bit more maneuverable. The handle is also slightly longer than most rackets, which again is something that I liked. And the material used is a combination of 15K and 3K. Basically, this just leads to a medium feel. It's not too hard and it's not too soft. So, those specifications are literally a dream for me. And you will have seen in the last couple of months me using this racket in all of my matches. It feels perfect for my game. I can get so much control on the ball, but also a lot of power on my smashes. The Smash has been something I've been working a lot on recently, and I've made a lot of progress with this racket. So, what is the main difference between this racket and the 8010, 18K, and 12K and some of the other models? The main one being this one is slightly lighter, which basically means it's a little bit more maneuverable. You can get a nice fast swing. you feel the main impact of that in volley battles and in defense as well. That does come at a slight cost to your power, but that wasn't a problem for me. This is a very versatile racket.

[00:08:56]It can be used by intermediate to advanced level players playing on the left or the right. But if you watch my videos and you feel like you play in a similar style to me, this one would be ideal for you. Like I said, I've left links to all of these in the description below. They're all available at Everything Paddle, so make sure to check them out. Thanks for watching this video. I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one.