Padel Racket Review - Bullpadel Hack 04 Tour Final 24

What the reviewers say

Across the sources the verdict is consistent: this is an attacking frame that pays for clean contact and charges for everything else.

PadelTestLab, who scored the Premier Padel edition 83 out of 100, put the attacking case plainly: "the head heavy balance loads the inertia into the head, and the carbon face returns it as a deep, flat ball." They are just as direct about the cost. Caught late along the side wall, they found the head lagging behind the turn and the ball leaving without clear direction.

Practica Padel reached the same conclusion from a different angle, and their scores track it: spin 8.5, power a shade over 8, control 8, manoeuvrability just under 7. Their reviewer called the new surface the real upgrade, a clear step up on spin over last year's racket, and described the feel as more mature and more connected to the ball than the Hack has been.

Pala Hack, testing the same platform in Spain, framed it as a choice of intent rather than a spec sheet: "this is a racket for accelerating the ball, with a dry strike that asks you to commit." They also noted that the Vertex line feels more complete for varied play, which is a fair warning for anyone who mixes their game.

The one real disagreement is the sweet spot. Padel Sack found it generous, writing that it let them "hit cleaner even when my strikes are imperfect", while PadelTestLab and Practica Padel both call it medium small and demanding. Swing speed probably explains the gap: the face rewards a fast, committed arm and gives much less back at half pace. Padelreference, who list the Tour Final 24 specifically, score it power 10, spin 9, control 8, comfort 7, tolerance 7, which is roughly where the consensus lands.

Two video tests of the same platform add a second disagreement, this time about the surface. Probando Palas, on a 370 gram unit, liked the víbora and the topspin finish but was blunt about the texture: "it is not very pronounced, and grip is not one of this racket's strengths." Dani 13 came at it from the smash and landed on the player rather than the spec sheet: "this is a racket that depends more on you than on the help it gives you." He also found the new dampeners widen the sweet spot a little over the Hack 03, at the cost of some of the dry, locked in control the older Hacks had at pace.

Our take: Bowe's summary

The concentric surface is the one claim to treat carefully, because the video testers barely noticed it: shape on the víbora and the topspin finish comes from head speed, not from a face that grips the ball for you. What it does not fix is the mass sitting in the head. Placement holds up as long as you arrive on time and goes vague the second you do not, and three sets of it asks something of the shoulder. Worth the money for a player who finishes points from the air, hard to justify for anyone who spends most of a match working the ball around.

Defence is where this racket gives least. PadelTestLab and Practica Padel describe the same problem: the weight up top means a late turn leaves the head trailing, and the ball goes back without much direction. Practica Padel scored stability and ball exit at 7, which is honest for a diamond of this weight. Read the ball early and it changes character, the firm core turning a wall exit into a counter with real pace behind it. The lob under pressure suffers most, because it needs the racket to carry the ball and this one would rather fire it.

This is the reason the racket exists. Smash, bajada and the shot down the side all come off deep and flat, and the diamond head does most of the work once the arm is moving. The víbora and the rulo are the standouts, where the head weight and the textured face put weight and shape on the ball at the same time. Practica Padel scored the víbora and the kick smash 8.5 each. Flat smashes are fine rather than devastating, and that is a real distinction: the racket amplifies a good swing, it does not replace one.

At the net it is sharp on short, compact volleys. The response is dry and direct, so a tense ball stays tense without you adding anything to it. Pala Hack found the opposite true for bigger swings, struggling to add power to a volley with a long motion, which fits a frame that rewards timing over effort. The bandeja benefits from the head presence, and the Hesacore grip keeps the forearm workable through a long set. Padel Sack, playing at a lower level, found quick exchanges at the net hard work, so the manoeuvrability is not a given.

How it compares

The honest comparison is the standard Bullpadel Hack 04 2025 Paquito Navarro. Same platform, same face, same core, without the limited edition premium and far easier to actually buy. Take the Tour Final if the Barcelona edition means something to you. Take the standard one if you just want the racket.

If the head weight is what puts you off, the Bullpadel Hack 04 Hybrid 2025 is the same materials in a rounder format with the balance dropped. Probando Palas rated it excellent from the back of the court and much easier to move. You lose some of the finishing bite and gain a racket you can defend with.