HACK 04 25 ITALY

Highlights

The feel

How it's built to play, by shape, core and construction — rated low / mid / high rather than on a false 1–10 scale. Higher isn't always better; it depends on the game you want.

The spec sheet

Our verdict

What the shape, core and construction tell us about how this racket is built to play.

How it's built to play

The Hack 04 Italy 2025 is a special-edition version of Bullpadel's flagship attacking diamond, released to mark the Rome Major at the Foro Italico. Strip away the Italian heritage design and what you have is one of the most aerodynamically engineered power rackets in the Hack lineage — a frame that wraps every key piece of Bullpadel's attacking technology into a single build. At €399.99 it sits mid-point in the Hack 04 family, and the playing identity is unambiguous: this is a left-side finisher's tool, not an all-court compromise.

The face is TriCarbon 18K — 18,000-filament tridirectional carbon woven in three directions rather than the standard two. That tri-directional architecture allows faster snap-back after impact, meaning the face returns to shape more quickly and transfers energy back into the ball rather than dispersing it through the frame. The practical result is a crisper, more explosive exit speed on volleys and overheads without needing to increase swing weight. Underneath, the MultiEVA core runs a three-layer sandwich: two outer layers of dense EVA for explosive response on hard contact, with a softer inner layer that absorbs some shock on slower exchanges. Tricore's reinforced internal vectors sit inside that sandwich, reducing torsional flex and vibration at the moment of impact — important in a high-balance frame where off-centre strikes can otherwise resonate sharply up the arm. The Total Channel perimeter combined with Air React Channel through the throat creates an aerodynamic system that, according to Bullpadel's own data, delivers 17% less air resistance and 7% more torsional stability than a non-channelled frame. In practical terms: the racket accelerates faster through the hitting zone, which matters most on overhead smashes where players are generating speed from the shoulder.

On the left side, this racket does exactly what a high-balance diamond should — it rewards a full, committed swing with an immediate, punchy ball exit. The Total Channel means the head moves faster into contact than you'd expect from a head-heavy frame, so the power arrives with less perceived effort than older Hack generations. The 3D Grain concentric surface texture generates meaningful spin on the bandeja and slice volleys, giving players directional variety rather than just raw pace. The Smart Holes pattern, which removes perforations from the central face area, stiffens the hitting zone further — this is not a racket that softens on hard contact, and players who want to feel the ball 'sitting' on the face will find it too immediate. Ease Vibe dampeners in four strategic holes absorb a reported 49% of vibration at impact, and the Vibradrive elastomer in the handle handles the residual shock that travels down the frame after contact. Together they take the edge off what would otherwise be a very aggressive vibration profile — but this is mitigation, not elimination. Anyone with existing elbow problems should still approach this racket with caution. The Custom Weight system allows up to 22g of additional mass and a ±1cm balance shift, which is genuinely useful for advanced players who want to fine-tune whether this plays as a pure attacker or something fractionally more versatile.