Padel Racket Review - Oxdog Ultimate Pro Smash 2026

What the reviewers say

Reviewers agree on the overhead game. Roberto Cardi (Padel Test by Roberto Cardi) gave the víbora and the smash full marks and said he had "never played a víbora with this much weight on the ball." Dani 13 calls it the most offensive racket in the Oxdog range once you adapt to it, with more ball exit than the Ultimate Pro Plus at the same hardness.

The thin frame does seem to help handling. Total Padel (testing the 2026 version) found it faster through the air in the overhead game and, against expectations, just as stable in defence as a normal profile. Dani 13 felt the gain mostly on rushed balls, not on routine groundstrokes.

The main disagreement is the sweet spot. Cardi describes it as medium and centred slightly high for the smash. Dani 13 found the opposite: the best output comes from the middle and slightly lower part of the face, while high contact feels dry and leaves the ball short. Both agree the feel is medium-hard, and Cardi warns that it is not a racket for intermediates or for players who hit flat with force.

Our take: Christoph Herrmann's summary

A finisher's racket. The weight and high balance pay back a committed swing on the smash and the víbora, and the thin frame keeps it quicker at the net than a 370 g diamond usually is. The trade-off to watch is the shifting sweet spot: high, late contact on hard volleys gives a short, flat ball, so plan on a few sessions to find the hitting zone.

Better than its spec sheet suggests. Total Padel found it stable on low defence and easy on bajadas, and Dani 13 rated defence as its best zone, with good ball exit from the centre even at slow pace. Cardi rated the lob highly. Late, high contact still costs depth.

This is where it earns the name. Reviewers rate the smash and the víbora at the top of the Oxdog range, with fast acceleration on the swing and good help on the kick smash. Flat smashes demand clean central contact; off-centre hits lose a lot of power.

Quick for its weight, and strong on blocks when you meet the ball in the centre. On fast, hard volleys the extra rebound can push the ball to the glass, so you need to finish the stroke down and forward.

How it compares

Against the Oxdog Ultimate Pro 2026, the Pro Smash gives more ball exit and quicker handling overhead, while the Ultimate Pro has a more familiar, higher sweet spot. Against the Head Coello Pro 2026, it is easier to move at the net; the Coello Pro is the more forgiving power diamond on off-centre smashes.