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round, 365 g, built for a club player

Babolat Counter Viper

The control member of the Viper family. Manoeuvrable, precise, and it still has enough in the overhead to finish a short lob.

Shaperound
Weight365 g
Balancemedium
Coremedium
Facecarbon
Built forclub
Power5 of 10
Control8 of 10
Kind to the arm7 of 10
Street price€180 to €260

What the finder says about it

  • Built for a club player. The finder keeps it away from a beginner player: a racket two rungs above you is a mistake, not a stretch.
  • Arm 7 of 10: fine for an arm that aches after long sessions; for an elbow that is already a problem the finder wants something softer.
  • Control 8, power 5: for the patient player who lobs and builds, and what the finder calls a defender's racket for the right side.
  • 365 g, close to the 360 g the finder assumes for a player with no weight preference.
  • Round: the sweet spot in the centre and the balance in the hand. The finder nudges squash and badminton players this way.
  • €180 to €260 in the shops, so it is in play from the €100 to €180 budget up.

Power, control and arm are the finder's own 0 to 10 scores, from playing the rackets and the specialist shops' consensus. Prices are the usual street band and move with the season.

The closest alternatives

On the lists: control, a first carbon racket.

Before you buy

Hold it in the ready position for a minute: if the head wants to drop, the balance is too high for you. Most rackets ship with a handle a size too thin, and one overgrip fixes it. Not sure it is the one? The finder asks twelve questions and gives three.

5% off everything at Padel Market when you buy through this link. The discount is theirs, applied at checkout.

Padel Market

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