Padel Racket Review - Nox Ml10 Shotgun 18K 2024

What the reviewers say

Across two video reviews, a Spanish on court test and a couple of dozen owner ratings, the verdict lines up: this is a power racket that rewards a clean, committed swing and gives back noticeably less when you are late.

Peter Consuegra spent most of his review placing it on the Nox map. He puts it between the AT10 and the AT Attack, more aggressive than the Pro Cup but less explosive than Leo Augsburger's frame, and his read on the back of the court is the honest part: "the ball comes off the face quickly, so it is less forgiving when you are under pressure and have to lob or counter." He liked the sweet spot more than the shape led him to expect, calling it high on the face but reasonably wide, and pointed out that the surface relief is hexagonal rather than genuinely gritty, so the spin help is moderate.

xTRES Padel was shorter and more enthusiastic: "Like the ML10 Bahia but with more weight in the head, so more aggressive. My overheads really work with this one. A beast of a racket."

Raul D. Martin at PadelStar came at it from the opposite direction, as someone who normally plays round control rackets, and was surprised: "I am used to control rackets, and for a diamond this one is not bad at all. You place the ball accurately, placed lobs are no problem, and it is precise in defence too." Then came the caveat every source repeats in some form: "as long as you hit in the sweet spot. Off centre, the ball is harder to control." On the smash he was blunt about what the shape buys you, saying getting the ball out of the court by three is much easier with this frame.

Where the sources split is on how much control actually survives. The expert tests lean generous. The 23 owner ratings collected by Racketguide average a middling 3.5 out of 5 and read like two different rackets: one owner praises "an excellent balance of power and control, with a wide sweet spot and a fair margin for error", another writes it off as "powerful, but hard, with little control". A third notes it goes soft in high summer heat. Nobody argues about the power. The disagreement is whether the 18K face leaves you enough room to miss.

Our take: Kaj's summary

The evidence all points one way. The Shotgun 18K gives a lot back on a clean, full arm swing and noticeably less on anything struck late or off centre. Its sweet spot is wider than most diamonds manage, which makes it more usable than the shape suggests, but it still asks for good contact before it helps you. Players still building consistency should weigh that honestly, because the comfort technology in the handle solves arm strain, not mis-hits.

Defence is the weak zone and every source says so. The head heavy balance and the stiff 18K face send the ball away quickly, so low, fast balls off the glass have to be met early and cleanly. Placed lobs are genuinely accurate when you catch the middle, which is more than many diamonds offer, but the margin is thin and the racket feels heavier than its weight once you are stretched. The Pulse System bands take the sting out of a mis-hit. They do not give back the control you lost.

This is the point of the racket. The diamond mould puts the mass high and EOS Flap lifts the balance further, so a full arm swing turns into real ball speed for very little effort. The smash is the headline shot, and reviewers kept returning to how much easier it is to put the ball out of the court by three. The bajada is the other one, fast and flat off the back glass. The response is direct rather than springy: swing harder and you get more, which is exactly what a finisher wants and exactly what a wild swing will punish.

At the net it is quicker than the spec sheet suggests. The side perforations and the lighter lower half let you get the face to the ball fast in a firefight, and flat volleys leave with pace without feeling bouncy. The víbora and bandeja both gain from the high balance, though the hexagonal relief gives moderate spin rather than the heavy bite of a sandpaper face. Soft hands and drop volleys are the one thing it is not built for.

How it compares

Want the same family with far more forgiveness? The Nox ML10 Pro Cup is the round, softer control racket from the same Lamperti line. Bigger sweet spot, easier defence, much less free power. It is the better buy if you are improving or you build your points from the back.

Want the middle ground? The Nox ML10 Bahia 12K is the teardrop between the two, with a softer 12K face. Nox itself positions it as the Shotgun's feel with an extra point of control, which makes it the safer pick for an all court player who still wants to attack.