Padel Racket Review - Bullpadel Xplo Tf 24

What the reviewers say

The reviewers agree on the feel and argue about almost everything else. That is unusual, and it tells you something.

the4Set weighed his unit at 358g with the Hesacore grip removed and measured the balance at 26cm, low for a diamond. He found it easy to move, forgiving, and strong in defense, then ran a smash test against the Hack 04 and called the distances a tie. On power he was blunt: "I felt like there was a power cap that I couldn't surpass." He ended up describing the Xplo as a control racket.

EverythingPadel tested the whole 2024 Bullpadel launch range on court and read the feel the same way: "It had quite a firm feel, but the sweet spot was quite big and I could still get a lot of control." Of the whole range, it was the one he most enjoyed smashing with.

Dani 13 was more critical of the ball output. He found the MultiEVA rubber slow to give anything back at low pace: "At low and medium speed you have to accompany the ball more, because the MultiEVA is less reactive than some rivals." He also flagged two clearly different zones on the face, a softer centre and a drier, firmer area higher up, and rated it above the Vertex 04 once the pace rose.

Stephane Penso of Padel Magazine read the tolerance the other way: "Less handy because of the head weight, and not very tolerant of off-centre strikes because of its small sweet spot." Padel Market agreed about how much the racket asks of you, in defense above all: "In defense the Xplo can be a challenge, because its hardness and high balance call for short, precise movements."

Where they line up: the feel is firm and dry rather than harsh, the control is genuinely good, the racket rewards pace, and the face barely grips the ball. Several reviewers called the 3D texture on the glossy launch finish close to decorative, and found slice and topspin harder work than on the sandpaper faced Vertex. Those tests ran on the glossy version, and the Tour Final ships matte, so bite may land slightly differently. Where they split is the sweet spot and the handling, and unit to unit variation in weight and balance explains a lot of that.

Our take: Kaj's summary

The honest read is that this is not the demolition tool the name promises, and that is mostly good news. Control is the strongest thing it does, and on a lighter unit the sweet spot is more generous than a diamond has any right to be, so a ball slightly off the middle does not punish you the way a Metalbone would. What it will not do is supply pace for you: at slow speed the MultiEVA core gives very little back, and you have to swing through the ball to find depth. If your technique is still coming together, the trap is not the frame, it is the spin, because the face does not bite and cut or topspin needs real racket head speed.

Defense is where the reviews diverge most. On a light unit with a low balance point, the4Set rated it his favourite Bullpadel to defend with: quick into position, stable on blocks at speed. Padel Magazine and Padel Market worked with heavier setups and found the opposite, that the head weight slows you down and you need short, precise movements to get anything deep. Both can be true, because the gap between a 358g unit and a 375g one is enormous on a diamond. What stays constant is that soft, slow defense is the weak spot. Balls dying low off the glass have to be carried, not just met.

Attack is what it was built for, and it delivers, with one caveat everyone ran into. Flat smashes and bajadas come off fast when you catch the upper, undrilled part of the face, the stiffest area of the racket. Aggressive drives pick up real speed once the rally is already quick. The caveat is the ceiling: more than one reviewer found the output flattens out instead of climbing, so a genuinely big hitter will reach the end of what it gives. Spin is the second limit. A heavy kick smash or a sharp cut costs more swing than it should.

At the net it is firm, quick to prepare and accurate. The bandeja sets up fast because the frame gets into position without drama, and flat, punched volleys are excellent: the dry feel keeps the ball from springing off unpredictably, so you can place it. The vibora is where the face limits you. Without much bite it is harder to make the ball drop and skid the way the shot needs, and you end up hitting flatter than you intended. Block volleys against pace are solid and stable.

How it compares

Next to the Bullpadel Vertex 04 from the same season, the Xplo shares the 12K face and the MultiEVA core but hits noticeably harder once the pace rises. The Vertex stays easier to move in fast defensive exchanges and grips the ball far better with its sandpaper face. Pick the Vertex if spin and quick hands matter more to you than flat pace.

Next to the Bullpadel Hack 04 of the same year, the difference is where each racket stops. The Hack is harder to swing but keeps giving as you hit harder, and it puts more weight and spin on the ball. The Xplo prepares faster and is friendlier to an arm that is still developing. Strong, physical attackers should take the Hack. Everyone else will enjoy the Xplo more.