DThat sounds like a simple question, but it certainly isn’t!
In this 2-part blog, we answer all your questions about the do’s and don’ts with a padel racket. We end with a few simple tips to extend the life of your racket.
Quality is what you pay for. Is that true for a padel racket?
To answer this question, we start with a bit of technical explanation:
A beginner’s racket is always made of fibreglass. This is a very soft material that mainly offers the player comfort and control. While a racket for advanced players is made of carbon, or in many cases even a combination of carbon and fibreglass. Carbon is a hard material which means you have a short ball contact while playing padel and therefore play harder.
But will your racket last longer if it is made of carbon instead of fibreglass? How cheap or expensive your racket is does not directly determine how long it lasts. All rackets are made for padel play and therefore do not automatically have the purpose of breaking down. How you handle your equipment and how often you play does have a direct influence on the so-called use-by date of your racket.
How many times per week do you play padel?
The lifespan of your racket is directly related to how often you use it. Do you play recreationally, once a week? Then you can easily play with your racket for 12 to 18 months. If you increase your frequency and play three times a week, your racket could be worn out after 8-12 months.
So how come? A racket consists of a solid mousse inside, with a jacket of fibreglass or carbon around it. The more you play, the better your technique becomes and the harder the ball contact is. Playing a lot and hard paddle also means: a lot of impact on the blade of your racket. All these impacts affect the resilience of your material.
Time after time, the resilience of your mousse and fibreglass/carbon deteriorates. The quality of your material does play an important role here. The structure of your racket and the precision with which it is made determine to a great extent how quickly your racket deteriorates.
Actually, you can reason very simply that a fibreglass racket will last as long as a carbon racket if you play with it at the same intensity. So where is the difference?
Suppose you are just starting padel and have no or little experience in racket sports. Then you should look for a soft racket, one that allows you to control the ball. Fibreglass, in other words. A recreational padeller will play padel once or twice a week. At this intensity, a racket can easily last 1 year. If you play once every 14 days, your racket will last even longer.
Are you an experienced player and play competitively? Then we assume you paddle 2-3x a week and use your racket at higher intensity. In addition, we know that a trained player (usually ;) ) is technically strong and plays the ball back harder than a Start2Padeller. So this player needs a carbon racket and will also stress it more by playing more and harder. This player’s racket will be ‘used up’ after 8-12 months, depending on how often and in what conditions he/she plays.
Conclusion: comparing the lifespan of a carbon and fibreglass racket is almost impossible because everything depends on the frequency and conditions in which you play. More important to remember is that you should choose a racket that suits your level!
Sneak peek PART 2:
In the 2nd part of the blog, we take a closer look at the do’s & don’ts with a padel racket as well as answer the question whether you can play padel in the rain. Coming soon….
