Is my padel racket dead? A one-minute check

Is my racket dead?

Rackets do not last; foam hardens, faces crack, cores separate. Do these checks once a month and you will never be surprised on a smash.

It rattles when I shake it next to my ear
One spot on the face gives more than the rest when I press with a thumb
There is a crack at the neck, the frame edge or the throat, not just in the paint
It sounds dull and the ball dies off the face; the same shot used to go deeper
It is past eighteen months, or about a hundred and fifty sessions
Chipped paint and scuffs on the edge, nothing else

How long a racket lasts

Three to eighteen months, and the range is real: twice a week with a soft-core racket gets you the long end; four times a week, outdoors in the cold, with a hard core, gets you the short one. The foam hardens first (the ball dies, the sound goes dull), then the face and core separate (the rattle, the soft spot), then it cracks, and the crack always finishes on a smash. Cosmetic chips mean nothing. A soft spot means everything.

Make the next one last

Do not leave it in a hot car; heat is what kills the foam.
A frame protector for the edge, put on before the first scrape.
Do not smash the ground. Everyone has done it once; the racket remembers.